Editing Liberec (section)

===20th century===
Until 1918, the city was part of [[Austria-Hungary]], seat of the Reichenberg district, one of the 94 ''Bezirkshauptmannschaften'' in [[Bohemia]].<ref>Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm Klein, 1967</ref> After the end of World War I, Austria-Hungary fell apart and the Czechs of Bohemia joined newly established [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]] on 29 October 1918 whilst the Germans wanted to stay with Austria to form reduced [[German Austria]] on 12 November 1918, both citing [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s [[Fourteen Points]] and the doctrine of [[self-determination]]. Liberec was declared the capital of the German-Austrian province of [[German Bohemia]]. Czechs however argued that these lands, though German-settled since the Middle Ages, were historically an integral part of the Duchy and Kingdom of Bohemia. On 16 December 1918, the Czechoslovak Army entered Liberec and the whole province remained part of Bohemia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Švecová|first=Jana|title=V německém Liberci vznik Československé republiky moc nevítali|newspaper=Liberecký deník|url=https://liberecky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/v-nemeckem-liberci-vznik-ceskoslovenske-republiky-moc-nevitali-20181026.html|publisher=Deník.cz|language=cs|date=2018-10-27|access-date=2024-03-04}}</ref>

The [[Great Depression]] devastated the economy of the area with its textile, carpet, glass and other light industry. The high number of unemployed people, hunger, fear of the future and dissatisfaction with the Prague government led to the flash rise of the populist [[Sudeten German Party]] (SdP), founded by [[Konrad Henlein]], born in the suburbs of Liberec. The city became the centre of [[Pan-German]] movements and later of the [[Nazis]], especially after the 1935 election, despite its important democratic mayor, [[Karl Kostka]] ([[Liberalism in the Czech lands#German Democratic Freedom Party|German Democratic Freedom Party]]). The final change came in Summer 1938, after the radicalization of the terror of the SdP, whose death threats forced Kostka and his family to flee to Prague.

In September 1938, the [[Munich Agreement]] awarded the city to [[Nazi Germany]]. In 1939, it became the capital of [[Reichsgau Sudetenland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Liberec jako hlavní město Říšské župy Sudety. Nacistické představy o podobě města|url=https://liberec.rozhlas.cz/liberec-jako-hlavni-mesto-risske-zupy-sudety-nacisticke-predstavy-o-podobe-mesta-8199354|publisher=[[Czech Radio]]|language=cs|date=2018-06-15|access-date=2024-01-29}}</ref> Most of the city's Jewish and Czech population fled to the rest of Czechoslovakia or were expelled. The important synagogue was burned down. Henlein himself confiscated a villa in Liberec that had belonged to a Jewish businessman, which remained Henlein's home until 1945.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cornwall|first=Mark|title=The Czechoslovak Spinx: 'Moderate and Reasonable' Konrad Henlein|publisher=I.B.Tauris|year=2011|isbn=978-1780768083|location=London|pages=206–227}}</ref>

After World War II, the city again became a part of Czechoslovakia and nearly all of the city's German population was [[expulsion of Germans after World War II|expelled]] following the [[Beneš decrees]]. The region was then resettled with Czechs.<ref>{{cite web |last=Štráfeldová|first=Milena|title=9. května 1945 vyvěšovali Němci v Liberci bílé prapory|url=https://cesky.radio.cz/9-kvetna-1945-vyvesovali-nemci-v-liberci-bile-prapory-8098490|publisher=[[Czech Radio]]|language=cs|date=2005-05-02|access-date=2024-03-04}}</ref>