History

Slovakia's history begins back when it was still part of Hungary. During this time, modern day Slovakia was just called Upper Hungary. However, the people that lived there started to establish their own identity. They created their own Slavic language, and established their own leader. In 1848, they started uprisings protesting Hungary's rule over them. It wasn't until the end of WWI in 1918 that they became independent.

Adolf Hitler and Jozef Tiso shake on the decision to separate Czechoslovakia

When WWI ended, Czech and Slovak regions joined together to form the country of Czechoslovakia. All was well until 1939 when the Nazis forced the two to split creating the Czech and Slovak regions. However, they eventually got back together in 1945 after the end of WWII.

Students protest Czechoslovakia's communist rule in Wenceslas Square in Prague.

After WWII, Czechoslovakia was still under communist rule. The party in power strictly forbid any anti-government propoganda, but people were starting to rebel. In 1989, a group of students gathered to protest the communist regime. This sparked many more protests marking the beginning of the Velvet Revolution. Eventually, the communists resigned in late November that year. President Vaclav Havel was elected later in December. Over the next several years, Slovakia and the Czech Republic separated peacefully in a process know as the Velvet Divorce.

Here is a timeline to summarize

Sources

• History.com
• Britannica
• The National WWII Museum
• The Guardian