The History of Czechoslovakia: The history behind the self-determined split of the federal state of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia Main Menu The History of Czechoslovakia This is a landing page of an academic book about the history of Czechoslovakia and its dissolution Major Events | The history of Czechoslovakia This page describes major events that had an influence on the history of Czechoslovakia, as well as on nations of Slovaks and Czechs separately Gallery | The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia This gallery brings together all historical images, that are connected in some way to the dissolution or history of the Czechoslovakia Timeline | The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia On this page, you can refer to crucial events in the history of Czechoslovakia on a timeline. References This site lists all sources of the content on this site. © Jan Hamara (2018)

The Final Years of the Communist Era

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On 17 December 1987, Husák, who was one month away from his seventy-fifth birthday, had resigned as head of the KSČ. He retained, however, his post of president of Czechoslovakia and his full membership on the Presidium of the KSČ. Miloš Jakeš, who replaced Husák as first secretary of the KSČ, did not change anything. The slow pace of the Czechoslovak reform movement was an irritant to the Soviet leadership.

The first anti-Communist demonstration took place on 25 March 1988 in Bratislava (the Candle demonstration in Bratislava). It was an unauthorized peaceful gathering of some 2,000 (other sources 10,000) Roman Catholics. Demonstrations also occurred on 21 August 1988 (the anniversary of the Soviet intervention in 1968) in Prague, on 28 October 1988 (establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918) in Prague, Bratislava and some other towns, in January 1989 (death of Jan Palach on 16 January 1969), on 21 August 1989 (see above) and on 28 October 1989 (see above).

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  1. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1948–1989) Jan Hamara