Problems in the Czech Republic, political changes since 1989

Intro (history): The Czech-inhabited lands of Bohemia and Moravia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the early 17th century until 1918, when they were united in a common state with Slovakia and part of Silesia as a victorious state after WWI. The new state, a democratic republic known as Czechoslovakia, was broken up during WWII, but was re-established at the end of the war in 1945. From 1948 to 1989 the republic was ruled by a Communist Regime. The Berlin blockade heightened Western Europe’s fears of Soviet aggression. As a result, in 1949, ten Western European nations joined with the United States and Canada to form a defensive military alliance. This alliance was called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). These nations promised to meet an attack on any NATO member with armed force. For the United States, NATO membership marked the country’s first peacetime military commitment. The Soviet Union viewed NATO as a threat. In response, the Soviets developed an alliance system in 1955 as part of their own containment policy. It was known as the Warsaw Pact. This alliance included the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. The Warsaw Pact occupied Czechoslovakia in 1968 as a result of Prague Spring (a period of reform, when Czechoslovakia’s capital bloomed with new ideas).
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent transition of power in November 1989. On November 16, 1989, Slovak high school and university students organized a peaceful demonstration in the centre of Bratislava. The next day, November 17, 1989 (International Students‘ Day), riot police suppressed a large student demonstration in Prague. That event sparked a series of demonstrations from November 19 to late December. By November 20, the number of protesters assembled in Prague had grown from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated 500,000. A two-hour general strike involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia was held on November 24. On November 27, the entire top leadership of the Communist Party resigned. The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 that it would relinquish power and dismantle the single-party state. Two days later, the legislature
formally deleted the sections of the Constitution giving the Communists
a monopoly of power.
Barbed wire and other obstructions were removed from the border with West
Germany and Austria in early December.
On December 10, President Gustáv Husák appointed the first largely non-communist
government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and resigned. Alexander Dubček was
elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28 and Václav Havel the
President of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989.
After Velvet Revolution
During the early 1990s, political and economics conflict developed between the
Czechs and Slovaks, and leaders of both groups decided to dissolve the republic. In
January 1993 Czechoslovakia was replaced by two independent states, the Czech
Republic and Slovakia. Czechoslovakia was split, currencies were separated and the
change happened in a peaceful way. However, a lot of people did not agree with
splitting the country and felt a mistake had been made.
On 12th March 1999 the Czech Republic became a member of NATO. It is an
organization that unites military structures of the member states (the USA, Britain,
Canada and west European countries) to defend one another and prevent the third
world war from starting.
On 1st May 2004 the Czech Republic entered the European Union. Although we have
had to fulfil a lot of requirements and we are limited by some restrictions and also
lose a part of our sovereignty, we hope the Czech Republic will profit from full
membership and our country will be prosperous.
Contemporary problems in our country
The Czech Republic suffers from many problems typical for advanced industrial
societies.
Because of shifting and unstable economy, people can lose their job even if they are
good in it and graduates fresh from university cannot actually find it. Unemployment
is one of many reasons of homelessness. Homeless have no home, family, money,
they live in a street, a lot of them are able to find the job but they don’t want it.
Many of them are alcoholics or drug addicts and they only beg for money, but some
of them play for example music in the street to earn money.
However, drug addiction is problem especially with teenagers. It usually starts as
fun or a new experience but sometimes it finishes as horror. Drugs are very
expensive and the „victims“ have no money so they have to steal, women have to
cruise. It’s very tough to stop it. Most of them are not able to do it. We can meet it
also in small towns, such as Poděbrady. Only a few weeks ago, the gang of pervitine
and heroin makers was arrested here in Kluk and in Milovice.
In my opinion, crime has increased since 1989. It’s not only producing of drugs, but
also a home violence, thefts and cons, illegal arms trade and so on. I think that the
biggest problems are corruption and bribery, the practice of offering something
(usually money) in order to gain some advantage. It affects many spheres of public
life – from politics to everyday situations.
We also see racial prejudice and discrimination in the Czech Republic, especially
against the Roma population, Vietnamese and people from Eastern European
countries.
People’s lifestyle has changed. Money and riches are valued more than before. Some
people are ready to give up family life in order to gain a high position and have a
successful career. While birth rate is falling, the number of old age pensioners is
increasing.
Air pollution is a concern in Prague and land pollution left over from mining in the
northern regions is an ongoing problem. Air pollution causes health problems, but
we also contribute to our own health problems by eating bad food, not exercising,
and drinking too much alcohol.