PRAGUE -- The Czech Republic has marked 100 years since Czechoslovakia gained independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the biggest military parade in its postcommunist history.
More than 4,000 military personnel took part in the October 28 event, which saw tanks and artillery roll down Prague's Evropska Street.
Troops from NATO allies Britain, France, Italy, and the United States joined the parade, which was attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Czechoslovakia was made a country at the end of World War I and fell under four decades of communist rule after World War II. That came to an end following peaceful demonstrations in 1989 in what became known as the Velvet Revolution.
Since their split in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have both joined NATO and become members of the European Union.
