Around this time, reaction against Germanization emerged in the form of the Czech National Revival. In the 1780's, the first Czech newspapers appeared in Prague, Czech theaters opened, and in 1792 a department of Czech language and literature was established at the university in Prague.
In 1806 mandatory elementary education was introduced in the Czech lands. In the 19th century, the country was industrialized and education, culture, and Czech literature developed rapidly.
In the revolutionary year of 1848, serfdom was definitively abolished. In 1869, a law was promulgated requiring eight years of mandatory schooling.
In 1882, Charles University in Prague was divided into a Czech and a German branch. In 1883, the renovated National Theater opened in Prague.