Czechoslovakia

Definition

Czechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.

Analogy

Imagine if your two best friends (Czech Republic and Slovakia), who always hung out together as one unit (Czechoslovakia), suddenly decided they wanted to do things separately. That's similar to how Czechoslovakia split up into two separate countries.

Related terms

Velvet Revolution: A non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from November 17 to December 29,1989.

Prague Spring: A period of political liberalization and mass protest in Czechoslovakia as a Communist state after World War II. It began on January 5,1968, and ended with a Soviet invasion on August 21,1968.

Soviet Union: A federal socialist state in Northern Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a major world power that played a key role in the events of the 20th century.