History of Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia was once a country in Europe that no longer exists today. It was made up of two countries: Czechia and Slovakia.

A long time ago, there were many different groups of people living in this area. Some of the groups were the Celts, the Germanic tribes, and the Slavs. The Slavs were the biggest group of people who lived in the area that is now Czechia and Slovakia.

Around the 9th century, the Slavic people who lived in this area became part of the Great Moravian Empire, which was a big group of people that had a king. Later, the area became part of the Czech state, which was ruled by kings and queens.

In 1918, Czechoslovakia became its own country for the first time. Before that, it had been part of Austro-Hungary, which was a big empire ruled by an emperor. Tomas Garrigue Masaryk became the first president of Czechoslovakia.

During World War II, Czechoslovakia was occupied by Nazi Germany. After the war, Czechoslovakia became part of the communist block of countries controlled by the Soviet Union. The country was ruled by a single political party, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

In 1989, there were big changes in Czechoslovakia. People started to protest against the communist government. Eventually, the communist party agreed to hold free elections, and a new government was formed. A few years later, in 1993, the country split into two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Today, both countries are part of the European Union.