Background: Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
July 5th 2008Europe » Czech Republic » North » Hradec Králové hello everyone
today is a sad day. we are beginning to come to the realisation that we may have been duped into buying our rail passes from a phoney website. basically, the tickets, which we should ... 20 photos[full story]
July 4th 2008Europe » Czech Republic » North » Hradec Králové This morning ladies and gentlemen, I passed my driving theory exam and then, rather unexpectedly, also completed my driving test due to my lack of knowledge of the Czech language. The day began very e ... [full story]
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