Introduction- A Country Freed
The Czechs and Slovaks had fought against Hitler's regime in many ways, Czech paratroopers, with allied support assassinated Reinhard Heydrich and a goverment in exile was established in London. In 1942 German troops razed the village of Lidice to the ground and killed all men over the age of 16. The women and children were taken to concenration camps and killed. One of these death camps, Terezín had been liberated by American troops in May 1945. The Allied armies liberated Czechoslovakia in May 1945.
In April, 1945 Soviet troops took Bratislava and in May, American troops took the cities of Plzen and Prague. A country that had lived in terror for the past 6 years was going to be free. The Russian soldiers were welcomed into Slovakia with open arms, they were cheered on the streets and given flowers by local women. In Prague the Americans were hailed as the bringers of peace, as their tanks rolled down the streets of the city people cried with joy. The liberation of the city was messy though, 1694 Czechs had died during the Prague uprising and many of the Nazi colaborators had been hanged or had commited suicide. In Pilsen the American heroes enjoyed Czech beer and were given gifts. The 6 years of Nazi rule had been bloody, Czechoslovakia felt betrayed by their Western allies and the Munich agreement still haunted the country. Emil Hácha, the president of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, who had been imprisoned by the Germans in 1945, had died in prison under mysterious circumstances and the goverment in exile in London, led by Edvard Benes was now ready to lead the country. Czechoslovakia helped the Allies during the war at Tobruk and the Battle of Britian. Now the country would need to get through the next decade and establish itself as a leading democracy.
The Czechs and Slovaks had fought against Hitler's regime in many ways, Czech paratroopers, with allied support assassinated Reinhard Heydrich and a goverment in exile was established in London. In 1942 German troops razed the village of Lidice to the ground and killed all men over the age of 16. The women and children were taken to concenration camps and killed. One of these death camps, Terezín had been liberated by American troops in May 1945. The Allied armies liberated Czechoslovakia in May 1945.