The Prague Spring
Prague and the Czech Republic have had a long and storied history. After World War II, Czechoslovakia came under communist rule which lasted for around 40 years. A major historical event was the Prague Spring (1968), which was “a period of political liberalization and mass protest in Czechoslovakia” [1]. Alexander Dubček, the communist party leader, pushed for partial decentralization of the economy and democratization of the nation. However, these attempts were repressed by the Soviet Union as Soviet troops and tanks invaded the country.
The Velvet Revolution in Prague
The fall of communism finally resulted from the Velvet Revolution in 1989. In 1993 Czechoslovakia peacefully disbanded into two independent countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. As a relatively new democracy, the Czech Republic is still in the process of discovering its destiny.
[1] Williams, K. (1997). The Prague Spring and Its Aftermath: Czechoslovak Politics, 1968-1970. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.