The Czech Socialist Republic ( cs, Česká socialistická republika, ČSR) was a republic within the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ČSSR, formerly known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic or Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 29 March 1990, when it was renamed the Czechoslovak ...
. The name was used from 1 January 1969 to November 1989, when the previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed into a
federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
. From 1990 to 1992, the Czech Republic ( cs, Česká republika, ČR) existed as a federal subject within the
Czech and Slovak Federative Republic
After the Velvet Revolution in late-1989, Czechoslovakia adopted the official short-lived country name Czech and Slovak Federative Republic ( cz, Česká a Slovenská Federativní Republika, sk, Česká a Slovenská Federatívna Republika; '' ...
, which later became the independent
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
History
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1969–89)
After the
occupation of Czechoslovakia
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
*Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, th ...
in 1968, liberalisation reforms were stopped and reverted. The only exception was the federalization of the country. The former centralist state Czechoslovakia was divided in two parts: the ''Czech Socialist Republic'' and the ''
Slovak Socialist Republic
The Slovak Socialist Republic ( sk, Slovenská socialistická republika, SSR) was from 1969 to 1990 a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, when previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed into a federation. The name was used fr ...
'' by the
Constitutional Law of Federation
The Constitutional Act on the Czechoslovak Federation ( cs, Ústavní zákon o československé federaci, sk, Ústavný zákon o česko-slovenskej federácii) was a constitutional law in Czechoslovakia adopted on 27 October 1968 and in force from ...
of 28 October 1968, which went into effect on 1 January 1969. New national parliaments (the
Czech National Council
The Czech National Council ( cs, Česká národní rada, ČNR) was the legislative body of the Czech Republic since 1968 when the Czech Republic was created as a member state of Czech-Slovak federation. It was legally transformed into the Cham ...
and the
Slovak National Council
The Slovak National Council ( sk, Slovenská národná rada (SNR)) was an organisation that was formed at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries to act as the highest representative of the Slovak nation. It originated in the mid-19th century ...
) were created and the traditional parliament of Czechoslovakia was renamed the "
Federal Assembly" and was divided in two chambers: the ''House of the People'' ( cz, Sněmovna lidu, sk, Snemovňa ľudu) and the ''House of Nations'' ( cz, Sněmovna národů, sk, Snemovňa národov). Very complicated rules of voting were put in effect.
Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (1990–92)
After the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
which brought the end of socialism in Czechoslovakia, the word ''socialist'' was dropped from the names of the two republics. Thus, the Czech Socialist Republic was renamed the Czech Republic (though it was still a part of Czech and Slovak Federative Republic).
The complicated system of parliamentary voting (there were ''de facto'' five different bodies each having right of
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
) was kept after the fall of socialism, complicating and delaying political decisions during radical changes in the economy.
Later, in 1992, the Czech Republic became an
Independent State
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
(see
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia ( cs, Rozdělení Československa, sk, Rozdelenie Česko-Slovenska) took effect on December 31, 1992, and was the self-determined split of the federal republic of Czechoslovakia into the independent countries o ...
).
See also
*
Constitutional Law of Federation
The Constitutional Act on the Czechoslovak Federation ( cs, Ústavní zákon o československé federaci, sk, Ústavný zákon o česko-slovenskej federácii) was a constitutional law in Czechoslovakia adopted on 27 October 1968 and in force from ...
*
History of Czechoslovakia
With the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy at the end of World War I, the independent country of CzechoslovakiaEdited by Keith Sword ''The Times Guide to Eastern Europe'' Times Book, 1990 p. 53 (Czech, Slovak: ''Československo'') was formed a ...
*
*
Czech and Slovak Federative Republic
After the Velvet Revolution in late-1989, Czechoslovakia adopted the official short-lived country name Czech and Slovak Federative Republic ( cz, Česká a Slovenská Federativní Republika, sk, Česká a Slovenská Federatívna Republika; '' ...
*
Reconcilee
External links
Constitutional Law of Federation (in Czech)
{{Authority control
Communism in the Czech Republic
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Former socialist republics
States and territories disestablished in 1993