Czech Nationalism

CZECHOSLOVAKIAN EXPERIENCE   OF NATIONAL IDENTITY

The end of Cold War brought into World agenda two political events: first, drastic changes at national frontiers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia including the creation of new states, and secondly the replacement of official ideologies with more liberal capitalist ones, leading to a transformation in reallocation and ownership of economic resources, in a reversal Marxist way where this time superstructure shapes the infrastructure. The first issue was the abolishment of a Post World War I heritage (Versailles Treaty and the end of Habsburg Empire) and the second one was making extinct Yalta’s ‘Spheres of Influence’ agreement. On the other hand there are counter arguments about Yalta’s historical importance as Leff pointed out depending on an argument made by a British diplomat: “The suggestion that East Europe was carved up at is an illusion; it was carved up by the advance of Soviet armies into East Europe”. Among these events it is not very hard to differentiate newer approaches to political, social and cultural aspects of life, such as the rise of nationalism, reliogion, consuming behavior, changes social status, etc.   Though it is not specific to the Second World, ethnic nationalism among Eastern European countries and former Soviet Republics is one of the most prominent feature of this era along with the restructuring market economy. It is not a coincidence that newly formed states are based on ethnic differentiation and the rise of nationalism on political and social arenas of those post-communist states. The intellectual and ideological void created by the disappearance of the official socialist ideology paved way to the emerging ethnic nationalism, suppressed for decades. According to Cviic, however, the communists had shown a strong nationalistic character during the resistance years, at World War. This essay will be focused on the development and destruction of Czechoslovak national identity, pursuing...