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The Third Republic
In April of the year 1945, in the wake of World War II, the Third Republic of Czecholovakia began. The new government was installed in the city of Košice(it was moved to Prague in the next month). The coalition was dominated by three parties: the KSC, the Czechoslak Democratic Social Party, Czechoslovak National Socialist Party. Though the nation was previously the only remaining democracy in Eastern Europe, the support of the Soviet forces in the war seems to have affected the political format. -
Potsdam Conference
On 2 August, 1945, the Potsdam Conference had reached its end. The conference mostly pertained to post-war handling of Germany, Poland, and Indochina, but one provision had a very large effect on the newly reorganized Czechoslovakia. The final negotiations of the conference upheld the proposition to expel German people from Czechoslovakia, which had been sought since 1943. The implications of this decision were massive, leading to the deportation of an estimated 800,000 people. -
Victorious February
Sensing threat of a shift to total power of the democratic parties, the communists in Czechoslovakia were worried about the 1948 election. As tensions increased from the declining popularity of communism in the government, a military coup d'etat was staged with the assistance of the Red Army. The death of the shortly-lived third republic marked Czechoslovakia as a communist dictatorship for more than four decades -
1960 Constitution
The third constitution of Czechoslovakia was passed on 11 July, 1960. As opposed to the previous constitutions that were passed, the 1960 Constitution was fully embracing of communism. The Constitution was admitting of the influence that communism had had on the country in the past decades. The 1960 Constitution also severely tightened the grip on the autonomy that had been granted to Slovakia in the 1948 legislature. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of about six months that entailed a period of liberalization and destalinization under the newly elected leader Alexander Dubček. While democratization was not on the books, the movement emphasized individual rights like speech and selling of goods. -
Charter 77
Charter 77 was a liberal piece of writing that argued strongly in favor of individual rights that were not provided by the communist regime. The paper was considered a political crime at the time, but multiple people signed it played significant roles in future politics. -
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet or "Gentle" Revolution was a period of non-violent upheaval of communism in Czechoslovakia. The revolution was spear headed by the young generation in the country, and began with an organized event on National Students Day. The revolution continued with a series of grassroots events and deliberations with officials, eventually ending on 10 December with the resignation of President Gustáv Husák and hence the end of communist domination. -
The Dissolution of the State
At the beginning of 1993, after negotiations in the year prior, Czechoslovakia was divided into two nations: Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The split was done peacefully, and received general consent from both sides. It is often considered that the divide was inevitable from the initial formation, because the nation began with two distinct ethnic groups that differed greatly. -
First Modern Election
The first election under the new democratic state was held in the year 1996. The election introduced senate that is in some aspects similar to the legislative branch in the United States. However, its political system is composed of many small parties. -
NATO
In the year 1999, the Czech Republic joined NATO, among other Eastern European nations, like Poland -
Presidency in EU
In 2009, representatives of Czech Republic won the presidency in the European Union
