Czechoslovakia - GCSE History Definition

Czechoslovakia was a central European country that existed from 1918 to 1993, formed after World War I from parts of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was a multi-ethnic state, comprising Czechs, Slovaks, and other minorities, and played a key role in interwar European politics. The Munich Agreement of 1938, which was part of the policy of appeasement, led to the cession of the Sudetenland region to Nazi Germany, a pivotal event in the lead-up to World War II. After the war, Czechoslovakia came under Soviet influence and was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. It is particularly notable for events like the Prague Spring of 1968, a period of political liberalisation that was crushed by a Soviet-led invasion. The country peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, an event often referred to as the "Velvet Divorce."