History of the Czech Republic

To draw up a history of the Czech Republic , one of the youngest democracies of Europe since it was born in 1993, can seem premature. This article aims at covering the history of the country now called Czech Republic, formerly Bohemia or Bohemia-Moravie, States of the Czech crown, etc

An opening remark: this history is that of the Czechs and not that of the Slovak ones: resulting from the same Slavic stock, they are separate very early in the history. The Slovak ones passing under the Hungarian yoke as of the end of the 9th century, the Czechs, under German influence after one relatively long autonomous period, have only few common history and find themselves within the Czechoslovakia only by the will of their elites and a turn of “ passes-passe ” whose history is usual.

Antiquity

The territory of the current Czech Republic is inhabited by the human ones since Prehistory: objects dating from the Stone Age were found at the time of excavations.

Since approximately 3000 years before J. - C., the Celtes are established in Bohemia, the Celtic tribe of the Boii gave its name to the area ( Boiohaemum in Latin). The Romans, since the Pannonia (current Hungary), went up until in Moravie and of the traces of their passage were in particular discovered with Olomouc.

The Germanic tribes are installed on the territory as from the first millenium.

Great migrations

What the French in particular and Europeans of the West in general call Great invasions the , is called in the Czech handbooks of history (and German) the “ removal of the nations ”.

The Slaves arrive in the current area of the Czech Republic at the 5th century and of the sources mention a union of the Slavic tribes between 623 and 659 under the direction of the Franc Samo.

At the end of the 8th century is constituted the Large-Moravie principality of which marks the departure of the Slavic history with the arrival of the monks Byzantine missionaries Cyrille and Méthode which évangélisent the area and give to the Slavic people the glagolitic Alphabet.

Origins of the Czech State

The Large-Moravie is invaded in 907 by the Hungarians, the autonomous Czechs remaining, that will mark for the millenium to come the separate destiny from the nations Czech and Slovak, this one remaining under the Hungarian yoke, that one passing gradually under the German domination after one period of autonomy.

At the 10th century, the Czech State is constituted under the dynasty of the Przemysl. In 924, the prince Venceslas of Bohemia seizes the power before being assassinated in 935 by his brother Boleslav and being béatifié. Saint Venceslav is the owner of Bohemia. The town of Prague becomes the center of the capacity and one évêché there is founded in 973.

In 1085, the prince Vratislav II Przemysl is high with the rank of king de Bohême, the Czech crown becomes hereditary only with Vladislav II Przemysl in 1158. The urbanization of the kingdom starts with the foundation of cities like Brno, Znojmo or Poděbrady. With the assassination of the king Venceslas III Przemysl in 1306, the dynasty ends.

The kingdom of Bohemia then forms part of the Saint Germanic Roman Empire and the king of Bohemia east one of the seven Prince-Voters.

In 1310, Elisabeth of Bohemia, girl of the king Venceslas II, and heiress of the throne of Bohemia, marries Jean of Luxembourg. Their son Charles becomes king de Bohême in 1346 and emperor of the Saint Germanic Roman Empire in 1355, date which marks the beginning of a golden age in Bohemia. The University of Prague ( Universitas Pragensis in Latin), the first university of Central Europe was founded in 1347. Prague becomes the capital of the Holy roman Empire and Charles IV undertakes to embellish it: the Bridge Charles, out of stone, replaces a wood bridge between Malá Strana and the Old woman-City of Prague, the double News-City the surface of the city, the Château of Prague covers new buildings with, inter alia, the Cathédrale Saint-Guy by calling upon the architect Mathieu of Arras. In the south of Prague, Charles makes build the castle-extremely of Karlštejn, jewel of Gothic strengthened architecture. With its 4.000 inhabitants, Prague is then one of the European cities most important.

The period of the religious conflicts

Hussites

The movement hussite (1402-1485) was as well a nationalist movement as religious. As a reforming religious movement, it represents a competition with the authority of papacy and an assertion of national autonomy in the ecclesiastical businesses. As a Czech nationalist movement, it has implications anti-allemandes and anti-imperial and can thus be regarded as one of the manifestations of the long conflict germano-Czech. Lastly, the movement hussite is seen per many Czechs like part of the world movement of the Réforme.

With died of Charles IV in 1378, his/her son Venceslas IV becomes king de Bohême and emperor of the Saint Worsens Roman Germanic. It, is at that time marked in Europe by the Papauté of Avignon and anarchy reigning in the Saint Empire, which the history of the movement hussite begins.

In Prague, Conrad Waldhauser preaches in favor of a reform of the Church and against its excesses. Jan Hus, the vice-chancellor of the University Charles follows his example. Its sermons which precede the Protestant theses of Martin Luther and Jean Calvin cause the anger of the catholic hierarchy but meet a broad echo in the public. Jan Hus is convened in 1414 with the Concile of Constancy, it goes there with the intention to defend its theses but will be condemned like heretic to be burned alive.

The revolution hussite is on the way, which will cause a fratricidal war and fifteen years of misfortunes in Bohemia fanaticized between Hussites, in favor of the theses of Jan Hus, and the catholics. It gives place to the first Défenestration of Prague. The Concile of Basle puts a term at the wars hussites, and guarantees a certain doctrinal tolerance with the moderate wing of the movement hussite (opposite in a fratricidal war in Taborites) which will convert with Protestantism at the time of the Réforme.

In 1458, the governor Georges de Podiebrady is elected by the diet, king de Bohême following the death of Ladislas Ier of the Holy roman Empire. To its death, the crown passes to the lituano-Polish dynasty Jagellon then in 1526 to that of Habsbourg.

The Thirty Year old War

Under the reign of Rodolphe II, Prague becomes again an arts center of foreground but with its death, the tensions between the communities catholic and Protestant woman climb and explode at the time when the diet of the Czech States is opposed to the king Matthias I {{er}} which succeeded his/her brother.

The defenestration by noble Czech, on May 23rd, 1618, governors imperial Wilhelm Slavata, Jaroslav Martinic and of their being useful, Fabricius (they will draw all from them unscathed, a heap of manure deadening their falls) mark the beginning of the Guerre Thirty Year old. The August 26th 1619, the diet of the Czech States elects as king the Prince-voter Frederic V of Palatinat (Frederic II of Bohemia) instead of Ferdinand II indicated by Matthias like its heir.

The armies of the catholic League, raised by Ferdinand II are opposed on November 8th, 1620 has those of Frederic II with the locality the White Montagne. The defeat of the Czech and Protestant armies marks the setting under final supervision of the kingdom of Bohemia to Habsbourg. The Czech nobility (largely Protestant) is decimated, its properties distributed between the victorious generals (Bucquoy, Tilly, Wallenstein). Some prefer the exile, like Jan Amos Komenský, one of the great figures of the Czech Protestant Church (known as fraternal ).

Bohemia, with 90 % Protestant woman, is then massively converted (often of force) with Catholicism in the movement of the Counter-Reformation, which will result in to strew Prague with churches baroques and the Czech countryside of monasteries.

The Czechs must await the reforms of Joseph II to profit from the edict of religious Tolerance. A Czech pulpit is then created at the University Charles.

Czech national rebirth within the Empire of Austria (1848-1918)

After one long period of Austrian domination, Czech nationality did not exist any more but through the perpetuation of the language and the culture Czech in the countryside. Simultaneously with the catholic Counter-Reformation, a Germanisation of the company takes place. In reaction, starting from the French revolution and especially starting from the Spring of the Revolutions of 1848, a Czech national rebirth takes form. The Czech language is purified germanisms which it had naturally adopted throughout the coexistence with the German minority, under the influence, inter alia, of František Palacký.

The task to be achieved by the guides of the national rebirth at the beginning of the XIX century was difficult: to make revive the Czech language which was losing its combat with majority German. It was necessary to create a scientific vocabulary, a class of intellectuals, to support the Czech culture, sciences, arts, and also Czech industry.

The actors of the national rebirth were based on Slavic solidarity, particularly with the Russia, and the history, with the recall of the great moments of the Czech history. Gradually, the cultural requirements of the Czech nation yielded the place to the political requirements: equal rights of the Czech language with those of the German language, institutional recognition and reinforcement of the unit of the countries of the Crown of Bohemia or local decentralization.

The rigid system of the the Holy Alliance, refusing any reform, being unaware of the requests for liberalization and democratization of the company, made burst into 1848 revolutions in all Europe. During the same year raised Palermo, Naples, Paris, Milan, Prague, Vienna and all Hungary. In Germany, the provisional Parliament meets to discuss the unification of Germany. It had to decide between two designs of unification - small or large Germany, choice who also related to the interests of the Czech nation.

At March 1848, the chancellor Metternich had to resign. One month later was proclaimed the first Austrian Constitution, the “ Constitution of avril ”. Austria was seized by a wave of revolts - in Vienna, in Hungary, in the Austrian part of Italy. Finally monarchy was saved by the army and its generals - Radecký in Italy, Windischgrätz in Prague, Jelačič in Hungary. The Parliament, which was to discuss liberalization in the Czech countries, meets in Vienna then, because of revolution, moved in Moravie, in Kroměříž. The deputies representatives the Slavic nations faced the requirements of the German liberals who asked for the integration of Austria in Germany according to the idea of Large Germany. The Czech deputies František Palacký and František Ladislav Rieger defended the policy of the austroslavism, of strong and independent Austria, federalized and organized on the basis of equality of the nations. In the case of the integration of Austria in reunified Germany, they feared the dissolution of the Czech nation in a “ sea allemande ”.

December 2nd, 1848, after the largest revolutionary wave was calmed a little, Ferdinand Ier, called “ Bon ” by the Czechs, abdicated. François Josef Ier, his nephew, who did not carry the weight of the promises “ irréalisables ” from the revolutionary period, went up on the throne in the place of the weak emperor of spirit. The new sovereign charged the army with dispersing the joined together Parliament with Kroměříž where it prepared a constitution. In December 1851, by decision of the emperor, the constitution was suspended. Revolution of 1848, it remained nothing any more but the equality in front of the law, the abolition of serfdom, the religious liberty and, to a certain extent, local decentralization.

Years 1850 were remembered by the absolutism of Bach, according to the name of principal representing government, the minister Alexander von Bach. The time was characterized by a limitation of the political rights, the centralization of the administrative system and favoritism with respect to the Catholic church following the agreement with the the Vatican in 1855. On another side, the State endeavoured to support industrial development and commercial. The mode was obliged to proceed to reforms because of the rout in Italy of North. It had failed because it was not sufficiently strong to prevent the progressive unification of Italy. The defeats of Magenta and Solferino as well as the catastrophic state of finances forced the representatives of the capacity to invite the representatives of the middle-class to take share with the decisions. Austria absolutist transformed itself definitively into constitutional monarchy. But the constitution of February was again declared by granting. Like the two preceding ones, it was not approved by the elected deputies. It brought however a certain revival in the political life to Austria. The Council of empire thus created included/understood two rooms: that of the aristocracy and the House of Commons. The nations of monarchy obtained the possibility of defending their interests. The Czech National plan intended to obtain the national equality, of the civic rights and a broad decentralization. In Bohemia, the number of associations passes from 466 to: 4476 between 1856 and 1876. In 1862, the Sokol is born.

Austria always endeavoured to implement the idea of a German unification, which led to a competition with Prussia, then, logically, with the war. The battle of Sadowa, close to Hradec Králové in 1866 was gained by Prussia. Apart from the international repercussions, like the withdrawal of Austria of Italy and Germany, the lost war had serious consequences in interior policy. It resulted “ from it; the payment austro-hongrois ”. The empire was divided into two parts: Cisleithanie Austrian and Transleithanie Hungarian woman, two parts where the decisional capacity returned to the Germans respectively on the one hand and with the Hungarians on the other hand. The two parts were bound by the person of the sovereign like by the common field of the military, international and financial businesses.

The constitution of December 1867 left to the sovereign a strong position: crowned, untouchable and having of account to return to nobody with the right to emit decrees when the Council of empire did not sit. At the beginning, the right to vote was neither general nor equal. The universal right to vote for the men was applied for the first time to the parliamentary elections only in 1907.

The Austro-Hungarian payment had forgotten the Czech claims. In reaction, large popular assemblies were organized in places of memory related to the Czech history - Říp, Vítkov, Blaník. In 1871, the Czech representatives negotiated with the Austrian government of the “ articles fondamentaux ”. It was about a draft Regulation tchéco-Austrian, but union narrower than that existing between Hungary and Austria. Competences of the Czech Parliament were reinforced, a founded local government and the kingdom divided in two parts, Czech and allemande. The project ran up against the refusal of the Germans of Bohemia and the sharp dissatisfaction with the Hungarians. The government fell and the payment tchéco-Austrian with him. The failure of the negotiations led the Czech political parties to continue in their passive opposition while refusing to take part in work of the local parliament and the Council of empire.

The policy of passive opposition ended in 1878, when the political parties realized that while taking part in the decisions, they would gain more than while abstaining from. The new approach in the form of weak concessions on behalf of the State was called, with contempt, the “ policy of the miettes ”. It is František Ladislav Rieger which launched this unhappy expression when he wanted to stress the contributions and the benefit of the active policy of the Czech parties. It was for example about the scission of the University of Prague in a Czech University Charles and a German Ferdinand University, emission of linguistic regulations which made it possible to use the Czech language to communicate with the administration, etc the Czech representation, in the linked beginning, was divided into two currents: more preserving Old man-Czech and more radical Young person-Czech. The last attempt at a payment tchéco-Hungarian, launched by Old man-Czech in 1890, failed because of the categorical refusal of Young person-Czech and the lack of interest of the population.

With the wire of time, the relations between the Czechs and the Germans worsened more and more. The Germans represented approximately a third of the population in Bohemia and Moravie. In certain areas, particularly in the border regions, the Sudètes, they formed even a homogeneous majority. The Czechs wanted to maintain the indivisibility of the country and to as well obtain the use of the Czech language in the reports/ratios of the population with the administration, but also between the administrations themselves. The Germans, on the other hand, endeavoured to create an autonomous German territory in Bohemia and to divide all the Czech administration in institutions and allemande very into keeping German like official language. The conflicts transfer the day because of the incompatibility of the claims of the two parties. After the boycott of the work of the national parliament by the Germans of Bohemia and the aggravation of the financial problems of the country, the management decentralized in Bohemia was suspended by imperial decrees in 1913. The management of the country was allotted, in an anticonstitutional way, at an administrative commission.

Industry develops and Bohemia becomes the industrial basin of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Industrial development and commercial is reflected in that of education, the culture and the feeling (see resentment) national Czech. The first Czech newspapers are published starting from 1869, of the theaters playing in Czech are born; into 1882, the Université Charles is divided into two entities: Czech and allemande. In 1883, the Czech National theater is built on Right Bank of Vltava. One plays there the symphony Má Vlast (My Fatherland) of Bedřich Smetana and one cannot include/understand the agreements of the symphonic poem Vltava (the river which crosses Bohemia) without imagining that it is also a patriotic song.

It is one period of intense competition so much industrial which cultural enters the Czech citizens slightly revanchists and the amenable German. The latter build the Neuer Deutscher Theater (today Opéra of State) to ram the pawn with the Czech efforts with the National theater (Czech); when the National museum (Czech) is set up on the top of the Place Venceslas, the Germans react in the same way.

Since the Empire is weakened politically and demolishes militarily with leaving the First World War, the Czechs are ready to take and their revenge and their independence: October 30th, 1918, the Czech National council announces the creation of an independent Czechoslovakian State.

Tchéquie within Czechoslovakia (1918-1992)

The first Czechoslovakian Republic (1918-1939)

In 1919, the treated Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer establishes the cutting-up of the Austria-Hungary and validates creation, in October 1918 of the First Czechoslovakian Republic on a national basis promoted by the Czech Tomáš Masaryk and Slovak the Milan Rastislav Štefánik, the Czechs and the Slovak ones together taken represent 50 % of the total population at the sides of the Germans (Sudètes), the Ukrainians, the Poles and the Hungarians (without counting the often German-speaking Jewish minorities and the Rroms). In fact, no nation is really majority on “ son ” proper territory and the first years of independent Czechoslovakia are remembered by strong nationalist tensions which undermine the political life.

The German minority is not invited to take part in the development of the constitution of the new republic. Adopted in 1920, this one preaches the irredentism with Germany.

The first elections proceed the April 18th 1920 and, until the German annexation of 1938-1939, the populations of the Czechoslovakian Republic will be invited to take part in the various polls by respecting the calendar envisaged by the Constitution.

The arrival of Hitler to the capacity in 1933 and the Anschluss with Austria in 1938 fact of fearing that Czechoslovakia, with its three German million of Sudètes concentrated on the margins of the countries bordering Reich and carried out by the German Party of Sudètes, the party separatist of Konrad Henlein, is not the next one on the list. Hitler requires the retrocession of the Sudètes and obtains win at the time of the Accords of Munich: October 1st, 1938, Sudètes are occupied. March 15th, 1939, it is all the Czech part which is occupied and becomes the Protectorat of Bohemia-Moravie whereas Slovakia declares her autonomy under the crook of M {{gr.}} Tiso and that the Eastern end of the Republic is occupied by Hungary of the admiral Horthy. France was not reached to defend the country, in spite of mutual agreements of defense.

It is the one period end which, in spite of the ceaseless political problems (nationalist tensions inside, threat Bolshevik with the Eastern steps) and economic (crisis of 1929), is perceived like a golden age by the Czechs.

The second Czechoslovakian Republic and the federalisation (1945-1992)

In May 1945, the Czechoslovakian Republic is restored in its initial borders (the Sudètes are reinstated) except for the Ukrainian part (annexed in 1938 by the Hungary) which is absorbed by the Soviet Union.

The president Edvard Beneš emits the Décrets Beneš which, pursuant to the Conférence of Potsdam, expel Czechoslovakian territory the German and Hungarian minorities and confiscate their goods - in exchange of what, the Czech State does not claim war damagees in overcome Germany. This will have an incidence after the fall of the Communist regime, the new democratic State deciding to restore the goods confiscated in 1948 by the only Communists, considering that (legal or not) the Beneš decrees were the fact of a democratically elected government and that it is not necessary of the “ réviser ”. This decision will be disputed by the Germans originating in the Sudètes, strong credits politically in Bavaria in particular, but will not be reopened by the Germany.

In February 1948, the Communists seize the power. Klement Gottwald institutes on model Stalinist worship of personality, personality not-stripped of paranoia like its famous mentor and founds mode of terror under cane of Safety of State Czechoslovakian, as attests it the elimination of the democratic opponents like Milada Horáková in 1950 or the Procès of Prague in 1952 which aim at the elimination of Communists of the first hour like Rudolf Slánský, General secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist party. Cruel wink of the history, Gottwald takes cold at the time of the Funérailles of Joseph Stalin and dies shortly after his mentor.

Removed from the nationalist tensions with the minorities German and Hungarian, the Czechoslovakia divides soon and the ditch which separates the Czechs from Slovak does not cease widening. It is the increasing federalisation of the Republic (a Czech Parliament, a Slovak Parliament and a Czechoslovakian federal Parliament, a Czech executive, a Slovak executive, an executive federal, and more important than all, in a country of the communist bloc: a Czech Communist party, a Slovak Communist party, etc) and the “ war of the hyphen ” which illustrates the division of the two national entities: it is from now on séant to write Czechoslovakian and Czechoslovakia.

The Spring of Prague, as from January 1968, tries to establish a Socialisme with human face, experiment which ends in the invasion of the armies of the Warsaw Pact in August of the same year. Then begin what the Czechs call the Normalization: a police State, a very powerful Internal security, a hunting for the dissidents of every moment.

Contrary to the Poland where the Catholic church plays a leading role, they are the intellectuals who engage in Prague for a company righter and more democratic. The Proclamation of the 2000 words and the Charte 77 reflect this engagement.

When in November 1989, the students express for the democracy, it is a fossilized Communist party, already fallen in the majority from the “ country frères ” (Poland, Hungary, GDR) which launches its police force to the attack of the students. One deplores fortunately no victim and the mobilization citizen massive and pacifist will ensure a political transition carefully, in a Révolution of Velvet.

The independent Czech Republic (1993-)

Velvet Divorce

Prepared, as one saw, as of the totalitarian period, the separation of the Republics Czech and Slovak is a formality negotiated as of the exit of the first democratic elections between the two Prime Ministers Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar. The credits and the debts of the Federal state are divided according to simple rules: either according to their geographical location (in Tchéquie or Slovakia), or according to the ratio 2/3 (for the Czech part) 1/3 (for the Slovak part). The divorce was effective at January 1st, 1993.

Integration with the European Union

Approved by referendum in 2003, the entry of the Czech Republic in the European Union, ratified by the Treated of Athens of April 16th, 2003, is coming into effect on May 1st, 2004.

The adoption of the Euro, makes the members of Parliament subject of debate. Initially envisaged for 2009 or 2010, the most probable date currently (semi-2007) is 2012.

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