Moving To The Czech Republic

MOVING TO THE
CZECH REPUBLIC
Viktorie Hrabetova, 317857
■ Female
■ 20 years old
■ Student
Who is ■
■
Single
moving in?
Moving to Czechia to study medicine
■ Experience with other cultures just through
occasional traveling
■ Has not been to the Czech Republic before
Historical background
■ To better understand the nature of the Czech people, it is good to learn a little bit about the modern history of the
Czech Republic
■ 1867 – 1918 – Part of the Austria-Hungary Empire
■ 1918 – Establishment of the independent Czechoslovakia
■ 1938/1939 – The Munich Agreement and occupation by Nazi Germany (‘The agreement about us without us’)
– “The leaders of Great Britain, France and Italy kowtowed to Hitler to cede parts of the Czechoslovak territory
to Nazi Germany”
■ 1948 – Communist party takes over
■ 1968 – The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
■ 1989 – The Velvet Revolution (protests leading to the resignation of the communist government)
■ 1992/1993 - Establishment of the independent Czech and Slovak Republic
Modrá, K. (2018, October 25), Important Milestones in the History of Czechoslovakia, expats.cz,
https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/important-milestones-in-the-history-of-czechoslovakia
Photo by Vladimír Lammer
Historical background
■ Czech Republic has a long history of being under the control of other nations.
■ In 1918, thanks to Tomáš G. Masaryk, it finally became a free democratic nation.
■ However, this freedom did not last long.
■ The country was occupied by the Nazi Germany until 1945, when part of the country was liberated by the U.S. and the
other part by the Soviet Union.
■ The Soviet Union liberated majority of the country, that is why after the World War II there was a big domestic support in
favour of the communist party.
■ The rule of the communist party was cruel and affected every aspect of the people‘s lives. A lot of political decisions came
directly from the Soviet Union.
■ In 1968 there was a period of political liberalization, we call this the Prague Spring. However, the changes were not well
received by the Soviet Union, which led to the sudden occupation of the Czechoslovakia by the armies of the Warsaw
Pact.
■ After the occupation, a period of ‘normalization’ began, which meant even stricter policies.
■ This lasted until a series of protests in 1989, mainly organized by students and artists, which led to the Velvet Revolution
and the fall of communism in the country
Modrá, K. (2018, October 25), Important Milestones in the History of Czechoslovakia, expats.cz,
https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/important-milestones-in-the-history-of-czechoslovakia
Photo by Jan Šibík
How history affected the Czech people
■ Throughout the history, Czechs have been betrayed by people who they thought were
their allies (Munich Agreement, Warsaw Pact) and it can still be reflected in the
people‘s behaviour to this day
– People might be distrustful, and it may take time until they fully trust someone
– Older generations might be especially distrustful towards foreigners, they might be
even rude or mean at times
– Older generations also may not speak English (during the rule of the communist
party, English was not taught in schools)
Other behavioural traits to be ready for
■ Generally, people might seem cold, grumpy and hard to approach

– However, that is just the exterior, most people are actually very nice once you get
the courage to approach them and get to know them.
■ Sense of humour and sarcasm
– It is definitely good to be ready for the fact, that a lot of Czechs will make a joke
about anything, even though it might be inappropriate at times.
– A little bit of sarcasm is present in most conversations.
■ A lot of complaining
– People will complain about anything and everything.
How make friends
■ Joining different groups and putting yourself out there

– The probability of a Czech person approaching you themselves is very slim, you
are the one who needs to make the first move. Even though it may be scary.
■ Beer.
– Beer is the national drink of the Czech Republic, therefore it is a part of any social
activity.
– People often meet at pubs or bars for a beer (or two, or five) on free days, after
work or school
– Really good way to interact with the locals. After few beers Czechs are not as hard
to approach

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■ Generally, people might seem cold, grumpy and hard to approach

■ Joining different groups and putting yourself out there

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