The Republic of Czechoslovakia, located in central Europe, had an area of 49,365 sq. mi. (127,859 sq. km.). Capital: Prague (Praha). Instructional production in the cities and agriculture and livestock in the rural areas were the chief occupations. ,The Czech lands to the west were united with the Slovak to from the Czechoslovak Republic on October 28, 1918 upon the dissolution of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Tomas G. Massaryk was the first president. In the 1930s Hitler provoked Czechoslovakia?s German minority in the Sudetenland to agitate for autonomy. The territory was broken up for the benefit of Germany, Poland and Hungary by the Munich agreement signed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy On September 29, 1938. On March 15, 1939, Germany invaded Czechoslovakia and incorporated the Czech lands into the Third Reich as the ?Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.? Eastern Slovakia was constituted as a republic under Nazi influence. A government-in-exile was set up in London in 1940. The Soviet and American forces liberated the area by May 1945. After World War II the physical integrity and independence of Czechoslovakia was re-established, while bringing it with the Russian sphere of influence. On February 23-25, 1948, the Communists seized control of the government in a coup d?etat, and adopted a constitution making the country a ?people?s republic.? A new constitution adopted June 11, 1960, converted the country into a ?socialist republic.? Communist influence increased steadily while pressure fir liberalization culminated the overthrow of Stalinist leader Antoncin Novotny and his associates in January, 1968. The Communist Party then introduced far reaching reforms which received warning from Moscow, followed by occupation of Warsaw Pact forces on August 21, 1968 resulting in stationing of Soviet troops. Student demonstrations for reform began in Prague on November 17, 1989. The Federal Assembly abolished the Communist Party?s sole right to govern. In December, 1989, communism was overthrown. In January, 1990 Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (CSFR) was reformed. The movement for democratic Slovakia was apparent in the June 1992 elections with the Slovak National Council adopting a declaration of sovereignty. The CSFR was dissolved on December 31, and both new republics came into being on January 1, 1992.,, Monetary System:,,, ,1 Koruna = 100 Haleru,,