Dear Students, This guide is intended particularly for you ...

exacerbated by the problems in Europe of this time (the Great Schism, criticism of
the Church). The Hussite movement was inspired by the ideas of Master Jan Hus, a
preacher who was burnt at the stake in 1415 at Constance. Despite his death, his
supporters successfully continued in their efforts to reform the Church and even
defeated five consecutive crusades from Rome in the years 1420–1431. The Hussite
movement changed the structure of society in many ways. It created religious dualism
for the first time in Christian Europe. In the second half of the 16th century the city
experienced great prosperity under emperor Rudolf II and was made the seat of the
Habsburg Empire. Rudolf II established great collections of art and renowned artists
and scholars were invited to his court. The Habsburg rule however brought the re-introduction
of the Roman Catholic faith, centralization and the construction of a multinational
empire. The Czechs finally lost their national independence to the Hapsburgs
Empire in 1620 at the Battle of White Mountain and for the next 300 years remained
part of the Austrian Monarchy. After the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
in World War I, Czechs and Slovaks declared independence in 1918 and Czechoslovakia
was established as a sovereign state. This united the Czech territory with
a part of Hungary inhabited by Slovaks and Ruthenians, who speak a language similar
to Czech. During the 1920s and 1930s, Czechoslovakia ranked among the ten most
developed countries in the world. After Hitler’s occupation of the country in 1938 (as
a result of the infamous Munich Agreement), Czechoslovakia was split into two parts:
the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and the Slovak state. The Czechoslovak
statehood was restored after World War II ended in 1945, but the country suffered
a territorial loss. The most eastern part, Transcarpathian Ukraine, was annexed to
the Soviet Union.
The events leading up to World War II as well as the war itself strengthened the
leftist orientation of a significant part of the population. Nationalization of mines,
key industries, banks and insurance companies in October 1945 affected more than
60% of the economy. The Communist party won the 1946 parliamentary elections in
Bohemia, which led to a cabinet crisis in 1948, and the Communist party formed the
next cabinet. This resulted in regime change and brought the country into the international
communist movement, led by the Soviet Union. Subsequently, this brought
about Soviet influence in all practical matters concerning the country and the lives of
its citizens. The entire economy became naturalized, and was, to a great extent, run
to meet the needs of the Soviet bloc. In addition, the state administration became
entirely centralized. The efforts and enthusiasm towards liberalization of the regime
in the 1960s (known as the 1968 Prague Spring) were too short-lived to succeed.
A turning point in the history of Czechoslovakia came in November 1989, when
the socialist regime renounced its power during the so-called “Velvet Revolution.”
This movement, initiated by students and intellectuals, was soon supported by the
common people, who formed a group called the Civic Forum, committed to bringing
in democracy and a market economy. Free parliamentary elections in June 1990 confirmed
the course of democratic development. At this time, Czechoslovakia, a unitary
state, became a federation known as the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic.
The federal structure did not last for long, however, as politicians of the two republics
held different views on the content and degree of economic and social reforms.
After the 1992 elections, the split of the Czechoslovak state and emergence of two independent
states (the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic) could not be avoided.
The constitution of the Czech Republic was passed on December 12, 1992. Since the
emergence of the new country, the foreign policy efforts of successive governments
have been focused on joining the Euro-Atlantic structure and the “europeanization” of
the country. In keeping with these policies, the Czech Republic became a member of
the OECD in 1995, signed the Europe Agreement in 1995, joined NATO in 1998, ratified
accession to the EU in 2003 through a referendum, and became a Member State
of the EU in May 2004. In 2008 Czech Republic became a part of Schengen area.
6 7