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After Masaryk’s resignation, Edward Beneš took over the country. He was a very strict man who wanted to restore political order. Unfortunately, year 1938 brought the Munich Dictate, which eventually left Czechoslovakia in the hands of Nazi Germany. Edward Beneš was soon forced to flee the country and he established a Czech government in London. In the meantime, the country gained status of a German Protectorate, had a Nazi-installed government and only one political party. It was a painful shock and collaboration was blooming because many people felt betrayed by the Allies.
A large part of Prague has always been Jewish. Jews had a status of rich businessmen and were respectable citizens of Prague. Everything changed with the Nazi invasion. Numerous transports of Jews were being taken every day to concentration camps and death camps all over Europe, including Terezín. The anti-Semitic regulations in Prague were very severe and many Jewish writers documented this period in a very authentic way.
The rebellious groups were closely tied to England, which was the last undefeated country. One of the biggest Czech interventions that changed the course of world’s history, was the asassassination of Reinhart Heydrich, Germany’s man number three. Heydrich was assassinated in 1941 by England-trained troopers, who were later killed by the Gestapo.