Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Czechoslovak Republic (1948–1960) Československá republika Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1960–1990) Československá socialistická republika | |||||||||
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| 1948–1990 | |||||||||
| Motto: Pravda vítězí / Pravda víťazí "Truth prevails" | |||||||||
| Anthem: 'Kde domov můj' (Czech) 'Where my home is' 'Nad Tatrou sa blýska' (Slovak) 'Lightning Over the Tatras' | |||||||||
The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in 1989 | |||||||||
| Status | Satellite state of the Soviet Union and member of the Warsaw Pact | ||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Prague 50°05′N 14°25′E / 50.083°N 14.417°E | ||||||||
| Official languages | |||||||||
| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Czechoslovak, Czechoslovakian | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary Marxist–Leninist state (1948–1969) Federal Marxist–Leninist state (1969–1990) | ||||||||
| General Secretary | |||||||||
• 1948–1953 | Klement Gottwald | ||||||||
• 1953–1968 | Antonín Novotný | ||||||||
• 1968–1969 | Alexander Dubček | ||||||||
• 1969–1987 | Gustáv Husák | ||||||||
• 1987–1989 | Miloš Jakeš | ||||||||
• 1989 | Karel Urbánek | ||||||||
• 1989–1990 | Ladislav Adamec | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1948–1953 (first) | Klement Gottwald | ||||||||
• 1989–1990 (last) | Václav Havel | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1948–1953 (first) | Antonín Zápotocký | ||||||||
• 1989–1990 (last) | Marián Čalfa | ||||||||
| Legislature | National Assembly (1948–1969) Federal Assembly (1969–1990) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
| 25 February 1948 | |||||||||
| 9 May 1948 | |||||||||
| 11 July 1960 | |||||||||
| 21 August 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 January 1969 | |||||||||
| 24 November 1989 | |||||||||
| 23 April 1990 | |||||||||
• End of the Government of National Understanding | 27 June 1990 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 127,900 km2 (49,400 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1986 estimate | 15,600,000 | ||||||||
| HDI (1990 formula) | 0.931 very high | ||||||||
| Currency | Czechoslovak koruna (Kčs) | ||||||||
| Calling code | 42 | ||||||||
| Internet TLD | .cs | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
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| Czechoslovak Socialist Republic |
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The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech and Slovak: Československá socialistická republika, ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (Československá republika), Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, or simply Czechoslovakia, was the Czechoslovak state from 1948 until 1989, when the country was under communist rule, and was regarded as a satellite state in the Soviet sphere of interest.
Following the coup d'état of February 1948, when the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized power with the support of the Soviet Union, the country was declared a "people's democratic state" when the Ninth-of-May Constitution became effective. The traditional name Československá republika (Czechoslovak Republic), along with several other state symbols, were changed on 11 July 1960 following the implementation of the 1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia as a symbol of the "final victory of socialism" in the country.
In April 1990, shortly after the Velvet Revolution, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was renamed to the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. On 10 December 1989, the National Government of Understanding was established with Marián Čalfa as Prime Minister, replacing a Ladislav Adamec led communist government, with a cabinet in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia held 10 of 21 seats, compared with the 15 of 20 seats they had held in the previous cabinet. The Communist Party continued to hold a strong plurality in government until democratic elections in June 1990 where the Civic Forum claimed victory, and a new government was formed on 27 June by Prime Minister Čalfa which led the government until its end.