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Czech Republic CultureGran-6 I World Edition 2016 Czech Republic Deal Usti° nad Labem Hradec PRA Kralove PlzeiS (Praha Ostrava. BOH 41A MORA IA .ESIA 10MOUC Brno es Budej vice 4111L Boundary representations are not necessarily authoritative. BACKGROUND snowfall tends to melt quickly. History Land and Climate Bohemian Empire The Czech Republic is a little larger than Panama but just In the fifth century, Slavic tribes began settling the area, and smaller than the U.S. state of South Carolina. It includes three by the middle of the ninth century, they lived in a loose principal geographic regions: Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. confederation known as the Great Moravian Empire. Its brief Bohemia comprises roughly the western two-thirds of the history ended in 907 with the invasion of the nomadic country. Moravia occupies nearly one-third of the eastern Magyars (ancestors of today's Hungarians). The Slovak portion. Silesia is a relatively small area in the northeast, near region became subject to Hungarian rule, while Czechs the Polish border. It is dominated by coal fields and steel developed the Bohemian Empire, centered in Prague. In the mills concentrated around the city of Ostrava. 14th century, under the leadership of King Charles IV, Prague Mountain ranges nearly surround the country, forming became a cultural and political capital that rivaled Paris. In natural boundaries with several countries. The interior of the 15th century, Bohemia was a center of the Protestant Bohemia is relatively flat, while Moravia has gently rolling Reformation led by Jan Hus, who became a martyr and hills. Bohemia's rivers flow north to the Labe (Elbe) River, national hero when he was burned at the stake as a heretic in and Moravia's rivers flow south to the Danube. Bohemia is 1415. Civil war in Bohemia and events elsewhere in Europe dominated by industry, particularly in the northern and led the Czechs (as well as people in Hungary and Slovakia) to western regions. Moravia is largely agricultural and is known become part of the Hapsburg (Austro-Hungarian) Empire in for its vineyards. 1526. A continental climate prevails, though with increasingly World Wars and Czechoslovakia wider swings of temperature and weather conditions. When the Hapsburg Empire dissolved at the end of World Summers start out moderate but can become quite hot in July War I (1918), Czech and Slovak lands were united to form a and August. Temperatures vary widely depending on new Czecho-Slovak state (the hyphen was dropped in 1920). elevation: a cool 50°F (10°C) in the mountains could be Tomas Masaryk became the first president. Democracy matched on the same day with a much warmer 86°F (30°C) in flourished for a time, but the country was not able to the lower valleys and plains. The capital city, Prague, usually withstand German aggression. In 1938, Hitler annexed the records the hottest temperatures in the country, but these Sudetenland, a region in the northwest where many typically average between 75 and 80°F (24-27°C). Winters German-speaking people lived. By 1939, all Czech lands had always bring cold and snow in the mountains; in the cities, fallen into German possession. The Czechoslovak people then freezing rain and ice are common, and the occasional suffered through World War II, in which more than 350,000 CultureGrarns- Czech Republic citizens (250,000 of them Jews) lost their lives. After the war, Democrats and two centrist parties. three million Germans were forced out of the country. Recent Events and Trends Liberated in 1945 by Allied forces, Czechoslovakia held • High corruption rates: In June 2014, a European Union elections in 1946 under Soviet guidance. Left-wing parties report emphasized that corruption remains a pervasive performed well, and by 1948 the Communists had seized problem in the Czech Republic. About 95 percent of the control of the government. The Soviet-style state promoted people considered corruption to be a major issue, and over 70 rapid industrialization in the 1950s. Social and economic percent of businesses agreed that corruption is a major policies began to be liberalized in the 1960s. This change led obstacle to economic growth. to discussions about easing political restrictions. In 1968, • Protests on anniversary of Velvet Revolution: In reform-minded Alexander Dube'ek, a Slovak, assumed November 2014, celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the leadership and put into motion a series of reforms known as Velvet Revolution were disrupted by mass protests against "socialism with a human face." The brief period that current president Milo g Zeman. Protesters accused Zeman of followed, dubbed Prague Spring, was crushed when Warsaw sympathizing with Russia and China and failing to promote Pact tanks rolled into Prague in August 1968. The Communist human rights. At the unveiling of a monument Party was subsequently purged of liberals. commemorating the Velvet Revolution, protestors pelted Velvet Revolution and the Czech Republic Zeman with eggs and tomatoes. In the 1970s, many dissident groups organized against the government. Members of these groups joined with workers, university students, and others in peaceful demonstrations in THE PEOPLE 1989 in what was called the Velvet Revolution. A crackdown on a student protest in November 1989 prompted a general Population strike that led General Secretary Milog' Jakeg to resign. About 64 percent of the Czech Republic's population is ethnic Dube-ek returned to prominence and was elected leader of Czech, another 5 percent is Moravian, and less than 2 percent Parliament. In 1990, Vaclav Havel, dissident playwright and is ethnic Slovak. Poles, Silesians, Germans, Romanians, leader of the Civic Forum party, became president. Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Russians, and Greeks constitute the Full multiparty elections under a new constitution took remaining 29 percent of the population. More than one place in 1992. Differences between Slovak and Czech leaders million people live in Prague, the capital city. on such issues as resource distribution, infrastructure The Roma ethnic group (also known as Gypsies) is investment, and economic reform led the two governments to difficult to count because its members often claim other peacefully split into two sovereign states on 1 January 1993. ethnicities to avoid discrimination. Official statistics list the Havel was reelected president of the Czech Republic; Vaclav group's population at well under 1 percent of all Czechs, but Klaus remained prime minister. Klaus then launched a the actual number of Roma may be up to 10 times as high. significant program of economic reform. The Roma are often treated poorly throughout Europe and Economic Instability and International Organizations have not integrated into mainstream society. The European Political infighting and economic stagnation increased Union has criticized the Czech Republic for its policies following the 1996 elections. A financial scandal forced toward the Roma. Klaus to resign in November 1997; however, he was elected president in 2003 and reelected in 2008. In 2010, proposed Language cuts to government spending triggered mass protests and led Czech is a Slavic language; it is similar to Slovak but also to the mid-term election win of the Opposition Social related to Polish, Croatian, and Russian. Latin was the Democrats, who blocked the proposed legislation. language of literature until the 14th century, when Czech The Czech Republic became a member of the North began to gain popularity as a written language. Czech is Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in March 1999 and considered a difficult language for non-native speakers to joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. The Czech learn. government's 2008 decision to allow the United States to Czech uses a Latin alphabet with several distinct accent build part of a missile defense shield southwest of Prague was marks and letters. The diacritical marks ', and ° appear over unpopular with most Czech citizens. In September 2009, the consonants or vowels to soften, lengthen, or sometimes Obama administration scrapped that plan, but the Czech completely change the sound. Republic is expected to be part of a reformulated missile Minority groups speak their own languages. Czechs also defense system within the framework of NATO in the future. often speak Russian, English, or German as second Political Turmoil languages, depending on their generation. Older generations In 2013, corruption and scandal drastically reshaped Czech often learned Russian, but since the Velvet Revolution, politics. President Klaus was impeached in March, Prime Czechs are more likely to study English and German. Minister Petr Necas resigned in June, and the subsequent prime minister, Jiff Rusnok, failed to win a vote of confidence Religion in Parliament. In October elections, votes were split between Over 10 percent of Czechs belong to the Catholic Church, and the established, center-left Social Democrats and newer, just over 1 percent are Protestant. Other Czechs belong to the anti-corruption parties. In January 2014, a coalition Czech Brethren (a Lutheran/Calvinist group). Roughly 34 government was finally formed between the Social percent of Czechs claim no religious affiliation. 2 CultureGrams' Czech Republic The Czech Republic has been one of the most atheistic meet you) or Dobry den (Good day). A man usually waits for countries in Europe. Czechs were less inclined to return to a woman to extend her hand before shaking it, but a boss religion after the end of the communist rule than were other always offers his or her hand first. eastern Europeans. Many were influenced by four decades of Traditionally, to show respect, one addresses both men and official (communist) atheism. Their adherence to religion women by their professional titles (engineer, doctor, sometimes is a result of heritage rather than belief. In professor) and last names. It is common to preface the title addition, Czechs tend to think of worship as a private matter.
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