Czech National History is marked by its origins in the early medieval period, when the Czech lands were part of the Great Moravian Empire. In the 14th century, the Kingdom of Bohemia rose to prominence under Charles IV, who established Prague as a cultural and political center in Europe. The 20th century saw significant changes, including the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 after World War I. The country experienced periods of democracy, Nazi occupation during World War II, and communist rule after the war, leading to the peaceful Velvet Revolution in 1989, which restored democracy and eventually led to the split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.