The Fall Of Austria And Czechoslovakia: What Happened?

The fall of Austria and Czechoslovakia were two very different events, separated by more than 150 years. Austria's fall came about in the 19th century, when the nation was forced to defend itself against an attack. The country was governed by a few great families, at the head of which stood the House of Hapsburg-Lorraine. In the 17th century, the German Hapsburgs had a powerful influence, but they were often in danger of extinction. Czechoslovakia's dissolution, on the other hand, took effect on December 31, 1992, when the federal republic split into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This event is sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce, referring to the bloodless Velvet Revolution of 1989 that ended Communist rule.

The fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918

Austria-Hungary collapsed in 1918 at the end of World War I. New states were established in its place, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. These countries were home to millions of people who considered themselves German and who spoke German as their primary language.

At the end of the nineteenth century, the Czech and Slovak situations were very different because of their overlords' different stages of development within Austria-Hungary (the Austrians in Bohemia, the Hungarians in Slovakia). Bohemia was the most industrialised part of Austria-Hungary, and under the influence of the Enlightenment and romanticism, the Czech national revival led to the establishment of the National Museum in 1818 and the National Theatre in 1881. Some Czechs were making political demands that included the reconstitution of an autonomous Bohemian Kingdom.

In 1948, the Iron Curtain went down between Czechoslovakia and Austria. Many railway tracks and roads connecting the two countries were closed down for a long time. In 1968, at the end of the Prague Spring, many Czechs fled to Austria. In 1978, the Czech author Pavel Kohout started to work for the Burgtheater in Vienna; his and his wife's Czechoslovak citizenship was subsequently revoked in 1979 and both were granted Austrian citizenship. In late 1989, the Czechs, for the first time in 40 years, could enter Austria as free citizens.

The Prague Spring

The reforms were short-lived, however, as the Soviet Union and three other Warsaw Pact members (Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland) invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress the reforms and restore Soviet control.

The Czechoslovak citizenship of Pavel Kohout and his wife was revoked

The fall of Czechoslovakia was a gradual process, with the country's collapse occurring in 1918 at the end of World War I, when it was established as a new state in place of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1938, Beneš resigned as president, realising that the fall of Czechoslovakia was inevitable.

The occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938-1945)

Czechoslovakia was formed after WWI, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up. The Treaty of St Germain (1919) and the Treaty of Trianon (1920) formed Czechoslovakia, an amalgamation of several different regions. It was a democratic republic with a government headed by President Edvard Beneš. In 1938, Czechoslovakia had a multinational population of 10 million Czechs, 3 million Slovaks, 3 million German speakers, 700,000 Hungarians, 500,000 Ukrainians, and 60,000 Poles. The government of Czechoslovakia was dominated by Czechs, which led to discontent from the other groups who felt their interests were not being properly represented.

After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Germany demanded the "return" of the ethnic German population of Czechoslovakia and the land on which they lived. In late summer 1938, Hitler threatened to unleash a European war unless the Sudetenland was ceded to Germany. On 5 October 1938, Beneš resigned as president since he realised that the fall of Czechoslovakia was a fait accompli. In the aftermath of the Munich agreement, German troops marched into the town square of Friedland.

In 1948, the Iron Curtain went down between Czechoslovakia and Austria. Many roads and railway tracks connecting the two countries were closed down.

The industrial revolution in Bohemia

Austria-Hungary collapsed in 1918 at the end of World War I, leading to the formation of Czechoslovakia. In 1948, the Iron Curtain went down between Czechoslovakia and Austria, closing many roads and railways. In 1968, at the end of the Prague Spring, many Czechs fled to Austria.

Bohemia was the most industrialised part of Austria-Hungary. The industrial revolution in Bohemia began in the 1800s, with the textile industry as the main factor. Mechanisation, steam engines, and the factory system were all utilised. Machine spinning started later and only became a major factor by 1840. Bohemia's resources were successfully exploited, growing 10% a year.

The first mechanical loom followed in Varnsdorf in 1801, with the first steam engines appearing in Bohemia and Moravia just a few years later. Textile production flourished particularly in Brno, which was considered the "Moravian Manchester". Mines and iron works were also established early on to exploit the rich deposits of coal and iron ore. The cities of Liberec and Pilsen in Bohemia, and Vitkovice in Moravia, became centres of mining and iron works.

By the middle of the 19th century, industrialisation was firmly established in Bohemia. New railways linked the centres of Bohemia and Moravia with Vienna, traffic on the Elbe River grew, and exports to Austria, Germany, and less-industrialised neighbouring countries boomed. Bohemia and Moravia had achieved a level of industrialisation second to none in central Europe and held a leading position within the Habsburg Empire.

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