Born January 1, 1993 after it split with Slovakia, the Czech Republic is one of the youngest members of the European Union. Despite its youth as a nation, this land and the areas just outside its modern borders boasts an ancient and intricate past. With A History of the Czech Lands, editors Jaroslav Pánek and Oldrich Tuma—along with several scholars from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Charles University—provide one of the most complete historical accounts of this region to date. Pánek and Tuma’s history begins in the Neolithic era and follows the development of the state as it transformed into the Kingdom of Bohemia during the ninth century, into Czechoslovakia after World War I, and finally into the Czech Republic. Such a tumultuous political past arises in part from a fascinating native people, and A History of the Czech Lands profiles the Czechs in great detail, delving into past and present traditions and explaining how generation after generation adapted to a perpetually changing government and economy. In addition, Pánek and Tuma examine the many minorities that now call these lands home—Jews, Slovaks, Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and others—and how each group’s migration to the region has contributed to life in the Czech Republic today. The first study in English with this scope and ambition, A History of the Czech Lands is essential for scholars of Slavic, Central, and East European studies and a must-read for those who trace their ancestry to these lands

A History of the Czech Lands

This survey of Czech and Slovak history traces the development of two neighboring peoples through the creation of a common Czechoslovakian state in 1918 to the founding of the independent Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993 and beyond. The History of the Czech Republic and Slovakia charts historical developments in the two nations to the opening decade of the 21st century. The book begins with an overview of the geography, climate, people, economy, and government of both the Czech and Slovak republics. Subsequent chapters offer a chronologically organized survey of historical events, trends, ideas, and people. Starting with the early Slavic settlements around the 5th century AD, the book explores Czech and Slovak history through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Early Modern eras, the Enlightenment, and the age of nationalism and revolution. Chapters on the 20th century include discussion of the World Wars, the interwar Czechoslovak state, the Communist decades, the Prague Spring, and the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The story is brought up to date with insights into developments in the independent Czech and Slovak republics since 1993.

The History of the Czech Republic and Slovakia

This book investigates how values such as freedom, work, family, free time, and politics changed in Czech society in the two decades before and after the November 1989 Velvet Revolution. Miroslav Vanek and Pavel Mücke use public opinion polls as well as 300 interviews with Czech citizens to create a multi-layered view of Czech history before 1989 and during the subsequent period of democratic transformation.

Velvet Revolutions

Czechoslovakia has been at the center of some of the most difficult--and tragic--episodes of modern European history: its sacrifice to Nazi Germany at Munich; the Communist Coup of 1948; and the military crushing of the Prague Spring. It has also enacted momentous change almost magically, as in the peaceful overthrow of communism in 1989, and then the negotiated end to the country in 1992. Czechoslovak history has consequently produced enduring political metaphors for our times, such as the Velvet Revolution and Velvet Divorce. The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Czech State has been thoroughly updated and greatly expanded. Featuring a chronology, introductory essay, appendix, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries, this detailed, authoritative reference provides understandings of the Czechs as a people; the territory they inhabit; their social, cultural, political, and economic developments throughout history; and interactions with their neighbors and the wider world.

Historical Dictionary of the Czech State

Situated in the turbulent heart of Europe, the Czech Republic has suffered from significant discontinuity in its historical development, but its economic thinking has not until now been subject to a full analysis. This book offers a history of Czech economic thought from the late Middle Ages to the present day. It traces methodological developments and the relationship between economics and politics, and introduces not just pioneering figures in the field but also those whose lives and careers were thwarted by history, as well as Czech exile thinkers. Identifying key themes in Czech economic thought, the volume considers which branches of economic theory have had the greatest influence on Czech thought, and explores the relationship between Czech economic thinking and wider established schools of thought. This book will benefit students and researchers of history of economic thought, economic history, economic theory, and political economy, as well as those with a specific interest in the Czech Republic.

A History of Czech Economic Thought

Although the content of historical geography may be viewed from different perspectives, there is no doubt that historical geography has interdisciplinary character. The publication represents an outcome of cooperation among geographers and historians within the Historical Geography Research Centre that continues more than forty years old tradition of common researches in Czechia. Beside discussing the disciplinary origins, the most vital research topics of present Czech historical geography are reflected in its contents - transformations of landscapes, historical towns, and of regions.

Historical Geography in Czechia: Themes and Concepts

The Czech Republic's history traces back to the early medieval period when it was the Kingdom of Bohemia, a prominent state within the Holy Roman Empire. In 1526, the Habsburg dynasty gained control, leading to centuries under Austrian rule until Czechoslovakia emerged as an independent nation in 1918 after World War I. Nazi Germany occupied it in 1939, followed by Soviet influence after World War II, establishing it as a Communist state within the Eastern Bloc. The Velvet Revolution peacefully ended Communist rule in 1989, and Czechoslovakia split peacefully in 1993, forming the Czech Republic and Slovakia as separate nations. Since then, the Czech Republic has become a democratic republic and joined the European Union in 2004.