The essays in the book compare the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993. The papers deal with the causes of the divorce and discuss the political, economic and social developments in the new countries. This is the only English-language volume that presents the synoptic findings of leading Czech, Slovak, and North American scholars in the field. The authors include two former Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, eight leading scholars (four Czechs and four Slovaks), and eight knowledgeable commentators from North America. The most significant new insight is that in spite of predictions by various pundits in the Western World that Czechia would flourish after the breakup and Slovakia would languish, the opposite has happened. While the Czech Republic did well in its early years, it is now languishing while Slovakia, which had a rough start, is now doing very well. Anyone interested in the history of the Czech and Slovak Republics over the last twenty years will find gratification in reading this book.

About the Author
M. Mark Stolarik is Professor of History and holds the Chair in Slovak History and Culture at the University of Ottawa.

Reviews
"Growing out of a conference held at the University of Ottawa in 2013, M. Mark Stolarik's edited volume brings together the work of scholars from North America and the Czech and Slovak Republics. The conference and subsequent publication had two main goals: to reevaluate the "Velvet Divorce," the peaceful agreement that led to Czechoslovakia's split, and to compare the post-divorce trajectories of the two independent states. Stolarik's comprehensive introduction names the "debate over issues of individual agency and deeper political structures" as the most striking theme of the volume. The authors analyze the split's main causes and question its inevitability by exploring the emergence of nationalism and national identity, cultural and economic factors, political elites, and public opinion. The chapters represent a wide array of disciplinary approaches, including history, economics, political science, sociology, and law. In addition, two politicians contributed their plenary addresses from the Ottawa conference: Josef Moravcik, a Slovak lawyer, professor, and 1989 activist, and Petr Pithart, a Czech dissident, Charter '77 signatory, and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1990 to 1992 while Czechoslovakia was still a federal state. Graduate students and scholars of the region will find much of this collection useful. Each chapter includes extensive references, and there is a thorough bibliography at the end. Some of the most important North American and European scholars have weighed in on the many significant topics facing the Czech and Slovak Republics today." * Slavic Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9789633861530
Author M. Mark Stolarik
Format Hardback
Page Count 380
Imprint Central European University Press
Publisher Central European University Press
Weight(grams) 635g