The
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority
ethnic-CzechCzechs are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, U.S., Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
protectorateA protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity. In exchange for this, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of...
which
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
established in the central parts of
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
,
MoraviaMoravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region.-Geography:...
and
Czech SilesiaCzech Silesia is one of the three Czech lands and a section of the Silesian historical region. It is located in the north-east of the Czech Republic, predominantly in Moravian-Silesian Region, with a section in northern Olomouc Region...
in what is today the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
. It was established on March 15, 1939 by proclamation of
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
from
Prague CastlePrague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
following the declaration of establishment of the independent Slovak Republic on 14 March 1939. Bohemia and Moravia were autonomous Nazi-administered territories which the Nazi government considered part of "Greater Germany". This came to an end with the surrender of Germany to the
Allies of World War IIThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . The involvement of the Allies in World War II was either natural and inevitable they were invaded or under the direct threat of invasion by the Axis or compelled by concerns that the Axis powers...
in 1945.
History
The
SudetenlandSudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia associated with Bohemia.The name is derived from the...
, located on the
CzechoslovakCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
border with Germany and Austria proper, with its majority of ethnic German inhabitants, had been incorporated directly into the Reich on October 10, 1938, when Czechoslovakia was forced to accept the terms of the
Munich AgreementThe Munich Agreement was an agreement permitting German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along borders of Czechoslovakia, mainly inhabited by Czech Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe...
. Five months later, when the Slovak Diet declared the independence of
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
, Hitler summoned Czechoslovak President
Emil HáchaEmil Hácha was a Czech lawyer, the third President of Czechoslovakia from 1938 to 1945. From March 1939, he presided under the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.-Judicial career:...
to Berlin and intimidated him into accepting the German occupation of the Czech
rump stateA rump state is the remnant of a once-larger government, left with limited powers or authority after a disaster, invasion, military occupation, secession or partial overthrowing of a government. In the last case, a government stops short of going in exile because it still controls part of its...
.
Bohemia and Moravia were declared a protectorate of Germany and were placed under the supervision of the Reichsprotektor,
Konstantin von NeurathKonstantin Freiherr von Neurath was a German diplomat, Foreign Minister of Germany and Reichsprotektor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia . Neurath remained titular Protector until 1943.- Early life :He was born in Vaihingen an der Enz, Kingdom of Württemberg, the son of minor Swabian...
. Hácha remained as technical head of state with the title of State President; German officials manned departments analogous to cabinet ministries, while small German control offices were established locally. The
GestapoThe was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning in April 1934, it was under the overall administration of the Schutzstaffel under Heinrich Himmler in his position as leader of the SS and Chief of German Police...
assumed police authority. Jews were dismissed from the civil service and placed in an extralegal position. Political parties were banned, and many
Communist PartyThe Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
leaders fled to the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
.
The population of the protectorate was mobilized for labour that would aid the German war effort, and special offices were organized to supervise the management of industries important to that effort. Czechs were drafted to work in coal mines, the iron and steel industry, and armaments production; some young people were sent to Germany. Consumer goods production, much diminished, was largely directed toward supplying the German armed forces. The protectorate's population was subjected to strict
rationingRationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services. Rationing controls the size of the ration, one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time.- In economics :...
.
German rule was moderate during the first months of the occupation. The Czech government and political system, reorganized by Hácha, continued in formal existence. Gestapo activities were directed mainly against Czech politicians and the
intelligentsiaThe intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
. Nevertheless, the Czechs demonstrated against the occupation on October 28, 1939 the anniversary of Czechoslovak independence. The death on November 15, 1939 of a medical student,
Jan OpletalJan Opletal was a student of the Medical Faculty of the Charles University in Prague, who was killed in an anti-Nazi demonstration during the German occupation....
, who had been wounded in the October violence, precipitated widespread student demonstrations, and the Reich retaliated. Politicians were arrested en masse, as were an estimated 1,800 students and teachers. On November 17, all universities and colleges in the protectorate were closed, nine student leaders were executed, and hundreds were sent to concentration camps in Germany. (
See also Czech resistance to Nazi occupationCzech resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II is a scarcely documented subject, by and large a result of little formal resistance and an effective German policy that deterred acts of resistance or annihilated organizations of resistance...
)
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on September 27, 1941, the Reich adopted a more radical policy in the protectorate. SS-hardliner
Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
was appointed Deputy Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. Under his authority Prime Minister
Alois EliášAlois Eliáš was a Czechoslovak general and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from April 27, 1939 to September 28, 1941, under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia....
was arrested (and later executed), the Czech government was reorganized, and all Czech cultural organizations were closed. The Gestapo indulged in arrests and executions. The deportation of Jews to concentration camps was organized, and the fortress town of
TerezínTheresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
was made into a ghetto way station for Jewish families. On June 4, 1942, Heydrich died after being wounded by an assassin in
Operation AnthropoidOperation Anthropoid was the code name for the assassination of top German SS leader Reinhard Heydrich. He was the chief of the Reich Main Security Office , the acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and a chief planner of the Final Solution, the Nazi German programme for the genocide of the Jews...
. Heydrich's successor, Colonel General
Kurt DaluegeKurt Daluege was an SS-Oberstgruppenführer and Generaloberst der Polizei, officer of the Reich Main Security Office and ruled the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia as Deputy Protector.-Early life and career:...
, ordered mass arrests and executions and the destruction of the villages of
LidiceLidice is a village in the Czech Republic just north-west of Prague. It is built on the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of the Nazi created Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was, as per orders directly from Heinrich Himmler, completely destroyed by German forces in...
and
LežákyLežáky was a village in Czechoslovakia. In 1942 it was razed to the ground by Nazis during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia.Ležáky was a settlement inhabited by poor stone-cutters and little cottagers...
. In 1943 the German war effort was accelerated. Under the authority of
Karl Hermann FrankKarl Hermann Frank was a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in Czechoslovakia prior to and during World War II and an SS-Obergruppenführer...
, German minister of state for Bohemia and Moravia, some 350,000 Czech laborers were dispatched to the Reich. Within the protectorate, all non-war-related industry was prohibited. Most of the Czech population obeyed quiescently up until the final months preceding the end of the war, while thousands were involved in the
resistance movementA resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to fighting an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign nation through either the use of physical force, or nonviolence. The term resistance is generally used to designate movement considered...
.
For the Czechs of the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia,
German occupationThe term Occupation of Czechoslovakia may refer to the following events:*The German occupation of Czechoslovakia and its allies:**1938: occupation of border regions of Czechoslovakia following the Munich Agreement which allowed a partition of the country :***in October, German troops annexed the...
was a period of brutal oppression, made even more painful by the memory of independence and democracy.
Czech losses resulting from political persecution and deaths in concentration camps totaled between 36,000 and 55,000.
The Jewish population of Bohemia and Moravia (118,000 according to the 1930 census) was virtually annihilated. Many Jews emigrated after 1939; more than 70,000 were killed; 8,000 survived at Terezín. Several thousand Jews managed to live in freedom or in hiding throughout the occupation.
The extermination of the
RomaniRomani relates or may refer to:*The Romani people**their Romani language*The Latin term for the ancient Romans, see Roman citizenship; and the Italian term for inhabitants of Rome.** Castelli Romani, a group of communes in the province of Rome, Italy...
population was so thorough that the
Bohemian RomaniBohemian Romani or Bohemian Romany is a dialect of Romani formerly spoken by the Romanies of Bohemia, the western part of today's Czech Republic...
language became totally extinct. Romani internees were sent to the
Lety and Hodonín concentration campsThe concentration camps in Lety and Hodonín were World War II internment camps for Romani people from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .- Background :...
before being transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau for gassing. The vast majority of Romani in the
Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe that is sometimes considered to be Eastern European. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west and northwest, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague...
today are actually descended from migrants from
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
who moved there during the post-war years in
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
Administrative Subdivisions
For administrative purposes, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was divided into two Lands; Böhmen (Bohemia) and Mähren (Moravia). Each of these was further subdivided into
Oberlandratsbezirke, each comprising a number of
Bezirke.
| Böhmen |
| Budweis |
Budweis, Gumpolds, Ledetsch Ledeč nad Sázavou is a town in the Vysočina Region, Czech Republic. It is located at around . The Sázava River flows through the town.- External links :* *...
, PilgramsPelhřimov is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 16,500 inhabitants. There is Museum of Records and Curiosities. In the middle of the town there is an ancient square with a lot of old, mostly Renaissance or Baroque buildings. The centre is partly surrounded by...
, TaborTábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
, Wittingau |
| Königgrätz |
ChrudimChrudim is a city in eastern Bohemia, in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic.The oldest archaeological findings which provide first signs of the settlement in this area date back to the 5th millennium BC. Various cultures succeeded one on another in the territory of today’s town of Chrudim...
, Hohenmauth, Jitschin, Königgrätz, Königinhof, Leitomischl, NachodNáchod is a town in the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region. Náchod lies in the valley of the river Metuje, in northern parts of the upland Podorlická pahorkatina...
, Neu-BidschowNový Bydžov is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated near Hradec Králové and Chlumec nad Cidlinou on the river Cidlina.-History:...
, NeuenburgNymburk is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, located 45 km east of Prague on the Labe River. It is also home to the Czech men's basketball team ČEZ Basketball Nymburk....
, Pardubitz, ReichenauRychnov nad Kněžnou is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 12,000 inhabitants.This is a small town, with a sprinkling of other small towns in the vicinity. The nearest big city is Hradec Králové which is about 32 km to the west...
, Semil |
| Pilsen |
Klattau, Kralowitz Kralovice is a town in the Pilsen Region of the Czech Republic. It lies some to the North-East from the region capital of Pilsen.Kralovice is also a Municipality with Extended Competence....
Pilsen-LandPlzeň Region is an administrative unit in the western part of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is named after its capital Plzeň .- Communes :...
, Pilsen-Stadt, PisekPísek is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 29,081 .-About:Písek is usually called "The Athens of the South", although Athens is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek...
, Schüttenhofen, StrakonitzStrakonice is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Estimated population: 24,000.-History:The settlement of this region took place in the second half of 12th century when a castle was built...
, Taus |
| Prag |
Beneschau, Beraun, Böhmisch-Brod Český Brod is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 35 km east of Prague and had a population of 6,637 in 2005.Rock for People, an annual summer music festival was held in Český Brod from 1995 to 2006...
, BrandeisBrandeis may refer to:* J. L. Brandeis and Sons Store, an Omaha, Nebraska-based department store chain* Brandeis Brokers, a broker on the London Metal Exchange* Louis Brandeis, U.S...
, Jungbunzlau, KladnoKladno is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 25 km northwest of Prague. Kladno is the largest city of the region and holds a population together with its adjacent suburban areas of more than 110,000 people.-History:The first written evidence of Kladno...
, KolinKolín is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic some 55 kilometres east from Prague, lying on the Elbe river.-History:...
, Laun, MelnikMelnik may refer to:* Melnik, a town in Bulgaria;* Mělník, a town in the Czech Republic.* Shiroka Melnishka Losa, a Bulgarian wine grape also known as Melnik...
, Pibrans, Prag-Land-Nord, Prag-Land-Süd, Prag-Stadt, Rakonitz, Raudnitz, Schlan, Seltschan, TschaslauČáslav is a town in eastern part of Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic.-History:History of Čáslav begins after year 800 with founding of citadel and settlement called Hrádek. Near Hrádek, new town with huge square was founded by king Přemysl Otakar II in 1250...
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| Mähren |
| Brünn Brunn or Brünn may refer to:Places* Brünn is the German form of the Czech city Brno* Brunn, Upper Palatinate, a town in Bavaria, Germany* Brunn, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a municipality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
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Boskowitz, Brünn-Land Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country. It was founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. As of August 2009 the population is 404,887...
, Brünn-StadtBrno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country. It was founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. As of August 2009 the population is 404,887...
, GayaKyjov is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 12,000 inhabitants. Kyjov is famous for its folk festival which takes place every four years.Villages Bohuslavice, Boršov and Nětčice are administrative parts of Kyjov....
, GödingHodonín is a town on the River Morava in the southeast of Moravia, in the Czech Republic. It lies in the South Moravian Region. The population is 26,226 . Hodonín was first mentioned in 1046. In 1228 it became a town...
, Ungarisch-BrodUherský Brod is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated in the south-east of Moravia . It lies in the Vizovice Highlands and near the White Carpathian Mountains ....
, Ungarisch-HradischUherské Hradiště is a city in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Morava river and is the seat of the Uherské Hradiště District.-History:...
, Wischau, ZlineZlín , from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov , is a city in the Zlín Region, southeastern Moravia, Czech Republic, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes company...
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| Iglau |
Groß-MeseritschVelké Meziříčí is a Vysočina Region town, situated under the original Gothic castle in a valley framed by the hills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands....
, Iglau, Mährisch-BudwitzMoravské Budějovice is a town in Vysočina Region, Czech Republic.Located at around , it sits astride the E59 highway between Jihlava and Znojmo ; the road leads on across the border to Vienna, Austria...
, NeustadtlNové Město na Moravě is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has 10,464 inhabitants.-EGU Brno Facility :Near the urban part Studnice, there is at 49°36'31.40"N; 16°5'2.500"E a testing facility of EGU Brno, which has three towers...
, TrebitschTřebíč is a city in the Moravian part of the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.Třebíč is situated 35 km southeast of Jihlava and 65 km west of Brno on the Jihlava River. Třebíč is from 392 to 503 metres above sea-level....
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| Mährisch-Ostrau |
FriedbergFrýdek-Místek is a city in Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It is the administrative center of Frýdek-Místek District. It comprises two formerly independent towns, Frýdek and Místek, divided by the Ostravice River...
, Kremsier, LittauLitovel is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 10,000 inhabitants. Litovel lies in Upper-Moravian Vale , 233 metres above the sea level. Thanks to its rich history Litovel has many historical monuments.-Demographics:Source: -Town Hall:The Town Hall lies on Přemysl...
, Mährisch-OstrauOstrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic, however it is the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. It is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava is located at the confluence of the Ostravice,...
, Mährisch-WeißkirchenHranice , sometimes called Hranice na Moravě , is a town in Moravia, the Czech Republic.In the Austrian-Hungarian era, this city was famous for its military academy and yeshivah .- External links :...
, Olmütz-Land, Olmütz-Stadt, Prerau, Proßnitz, Wallachisch-MeseritschValašské Meziříčí is a town in the Zlín Region, the Czech Republic. The town has 27,960 inhabitants.Famous tennis player Tomáš Berdych, Academy Award winning songwriter and actress Markéta Irglová and footballer Milan Baroš were born here....
, WesetinVsetín is a town in Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 28,500 inhabitants.The area around Vsetín, called Vsetínsko, is spread out on the foothills of the Vsetín, Hostýn and Vizovice Hills around the Bečva River...
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See also
- German occupation of Czechoslovakia
Following the Anschluss of Nazi Germany and Austria in March 1938, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's next target for annexation was Czechoslovakia. His pretext was the alleged privations suffered by ethnic German populations living in Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known...
- History of Slovakia
This article discusses the history of the territory of Slovakia.- Palaeolithic :Radiocarbon dating puts the oldest surviving archaeological artifacts from Slovakia - found near Nové Mesto nad Váhom - at 270,000 BCE, in the Early Paleolithic era...
- Concentration camps Lety and Hodonín
The concentration camps in Lety and Hodonín were World War II internment camps for Romani people from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .- Background :...
- Out Distance
Out Distance was a Czech resistance group during World War II, operating in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .-Operations:At 2AM on 28 March, 1942, the group parachuted from a British Halifax plane...
Sources
External links