History

5th C                     Settled by West Slavs.

8th C                     Part of Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire.

9th C                     Kingdom of Greater Moravia, in the eastern part of what is now the

                                Czech Republic, founded by the Slavic prince Sviatopluk; Christianity

                                adopted.

906                         Moravia conquered by the Magyars (Hungarians).

995                         Independent state of Bohemia in the NW, centred around Prague,

                                Formed under the Premysl rulers, who had broken away from Moravia;

                                became kingdom in 12th century.

1029                       Moravia became a fief of Bohemia.

1355                       King Charles IV of Bohemia became Holy Roman Emperor.

Early 15th C         Nationalistic Hussite religion, opposed to German and papal influence,

                                founded in Bohemia by John Huss.

1526                       Bohemia came under the control of the Austrian Catholic Habsburgs.

1618                       Hussite revolt precipitated the Thirty Years War, which resulted in the 

                                Bohemians' defeat, more direct rule by the Habsburgs, and

                                re-Catholicization.

1867                       Austro-Hungarian monarchy created. Bohemia reduced to a province of 

                                Austria, leading to a growth in national consciousness.

1918                       Austro-Hungarian Empire dismembered; Czechs joined Slovaks in forming

                                Czechoslovakia as independent democratic nation, with Tomas Masaryk

                                president. 

1938                       Under the Munich Agreement, Czechoslovakia was forced to surrender

                                the Sudetenland German districts in the N to Germany.

1939                       The remainder of Czechoslovakia annexed by Germany,

                                Bohemia-Moravia being administered as a 'protectorate'; President

                                Eduard Benes set up a government-in-exile in London; liquidation

                                campaigns against intelligentsia.

1945                       Liberated by Soviet and American troops; communist-dominated 

                                government formed under Benes; 2 million Sudeten Germans expelled.

1948                       Benes ousted; communists assumed full control under a soviet style

                                Single party constitution.

1950's                     Political opponents purged; nationalization of industries.

1968                       'Prague Spring' political liberalization programme, instituted by 

                                Communist Party leader Alexander Dubcek, crushed by invasion of

                                Warsaw Pact forces to restore the 'orthodox line'.

1969                       New federal constitution' creating a separate Czech Socialist Republic;

                                Gustav Husak became Communist Party leader.

1977                       Formation of the 'Charter 77' human-rights group by intellectuals

                                including the playwright Vaclav Havel, encouraged a crackdown

                               against dissidents.

1987                     Reformist Milos Jakes replaced Husak as communist leader, and introduced

                              a prestvaba ('restructuring') reform programme on the soviet leader

                              Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika model.

1989                     Major prodemocracy demonstrations in Prague; new political parties 

                              formed and legalized, including Czech based Civic Forum under Havel;

                              Communist Party stripped of powers. New 'grand coalition' government

                              formed; Havel appointed state president. Amnesty granted to 22,000

                              prisoners.

1990                    Multiparty elections won by civic forum.

1991                    Civic forum split into centre-right Civic Democratic Party (CDP) and

                             centre-left Civic Movement (CM); evidence of increasing Czech and 

                             Slovak separatism.

1992                    Vaclav Klaus, leader of the Czech-based CDP, became prime minister;

                             Havel resigned following nationalist Slovak gains in assembly elections.

                             Creation of separate Czech and Slovak states and a customs union 

                             agreed. Market-centred economic-reform programme launched, including

                             mass privatizations.

1993                    Czech Republic became sovereign state within the United Nations, with

                             Klaus as prime minister. Havel elected president.

1994                   Joined NATO's 'partnership for peace' programme. Strong economic

                            growth registered.

1996                   Applied for EU membership. Klaus-led coalition lost its parliamentary majority

                            after elections remained in power. Ruling coalition successful in upper house

                            elections.

1997                   Former communist leader Milos Jakes  charged with treason. prime minister

                            Vaclav Klaus resigned after allegations of misconduct. Josef Tosovsky,

                            governor of central bank, appointed as interim, non-party successor.

                           Czech Republic invited to join NATO and begin EU membership

                           negotiation.