Czech Democratization
A history of Czech democratization.
Contents
First Czechoslovak Republic
During World War 1, the Austro-Hungarian politician Masaryk lobbied Wilson for independence. In 1918, the Allied Powers recognized him as the effective head of state for an incoming independent Czechoslovakia. He was elected in actuality that November.
The First Republic was designed to have a weak president and a more powerful bicameral legislature. The National Assembly was composed of a Chamber of Deputies with 300 members and a Senate with 150 members. Both were elected by proportional representation. 10 parties regularly had some share of the votes, creating particular difficulty in establishing stable governments. Masaryk was able to centralize power in the presidency during his 17 year term, while 10 prime ministers came and went.
Second Czechoslovak Republic
The Second Republic, for all intents and purposes, is tied to the presidency of Hácha. Structurally, the Second Republic was identical to the First.
The Munich Betrayal established Czechoslovakia as a de facto German client state. Accordingly, the Communist Party was banned, Jews were blacklisted from political and educational positions, and Jewish-owned firms were seized.
The First Vienna Award further partitioned the country, with Carpathian Ruthenia being seized by Horthy.
Government in Exile
Beneš declared himself the president of Czechoslovakia in exile. He leverage the Czechoslovak intelligence community to maintain recognition as such from the Allies.
Third Czechoslovak Republic
The Third Republic had a unicameral legislature. The Constituent National Assembly was elected by proportional representation. Importantly though, the National Front coalition effectively held all seats. The Košice Program had established limited multi-party democracy.
Socialist Czechoslovak Republic
Briefly known as the Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, the Socialist Czechoslovak Republic was a Soviet satellite state.
Non-KSČ ministers of the National Front coalition resigned in February 1948, leaving KSČ in full control. Elections in March and the Ninth-of-May Constitution they produced cemented this.
Under Dubček's reformist 1968 government, generally known as the Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia saw rapid and significant liberalization. This was reversed August, when the Warsaw Pact invaded and began the normalization era.
Czech and Slovak Federative Republic
The Civic Forum political movement coordinated all opposition efforts. Mass demonstrations began on November 17, 1989, the 50th anniversary of a student protest at Prague University that was violently suppressed by Germany. Attempts to suppress this protest instead drew more people and attention to the protest.
On November 24, Miloš Jakeš resigned as general secretary of the KSČ and Husek resigned as president. This relatively peaceful transition of power is known as the Velvet Revolution.
The Velvet Divorce saw this state partitioned into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.