The end of Czechoslovakia

In The End of Czechoslovakia, scholars and practitioners from both sides of the divide, Czech and Slovak, as well as Western experts, take an in-depth look at the causes of Czechoslovakia's break-up, and seek to explain why a seemingly successful country should disintegrate so quickly after the collapse of the communist regime.

Besides exploring the political processes leading to the split, the authors analyse the underlying social, economic and cultural differences between the two nations and examine the historical roots of the problems. Particular attention is paid to changing Czech and Slovak attitudes towards the common state and towards each other, from the heyday of the First Republic to the disillusionment of the post-1989 period.

. On an international level, important lessons can be drawn from the failure of the Czechoslovak Federation. This multidisciplinary interpretation of the peaceful break-up of a state helps the reader to understand not only the deeper causes of the 'velvet divorce', but the phenomenon of contemporary nationalisms as a whole.