The system of government the constitution introduced made Czechoslovakia the most westernized of all of the central and eastern European nations on the verge of World War II.

The constitution created a parliament but also a president and cabinet, sharing powers of executive branch.

Since it was so hard to secure a majority, the government was at times stalled out and unable to effectively legislate.

Under the circumstances, Czechoslovak prime ministers were fairly weak figures compared to their counterparts in the rest of Europe.

If parliament rejected a government bill, the cabinet could unanimously refer the proposed law to referendum.

The constitution laid down that all executive functions rested with the government except as expressly assigned to the president.

If the Senate sustained the veto, then the Chamber of Deputies could override it unilaterally by a subsequent vote by means of a three-fifths majority.

However, these provisions remained a dead letter in practice, as the supposedly autonomous institutions were controlled from Prague.

The Constitution of 1920 would serve as the guiding document for the government of Czechoslovakia until World War II.

And even after Czechoslovakia came under the control of the Soviet Union, the constitution would still continue to govern the way the state’s internal affairs by serving as the underlying example for the country’s next constitution, with provisions being made for a separate and more localized Slovak government.