After 1848, leading representatives of the Czech National Revival increased their political efforts to obtain greater autonomy for the Czech lands within the Habsburg Monarchy.
The outbreak of World War I opened the possibility of gaining full independence and establishing a sovereign state. In 1915, representatives of the Czech Republic and Slovakia declared their goal to create a common state based on the people's right to self-determination.
After the surrender of Austria-Hungary three years later, the Czechoslovak Republic became a reality. It lasted 20 years (the so-called Second Polish Republic) and ended with the outbreak of World War II.
