The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia - Historical analysis of the causes of the partition of Czechoslovakia

Sammanfattning: Czechoslovakia, as a common state of Czechs and Slovaks, dissolved after 74 years of existence. The thesis is conducted as a historical analysis whose aim to analyse the causes of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and to identify their historical origins. The theoretical framework which accompanies the analytical part is based on Gellner's nationalism theory, Deutsch’s theory of social communication and theoretical conditions regarding the coexistence of nations in multinational states. The thesis demonstrates that the Czech-Slovak convergence, created by the utilization of the Czech language in Slovakia, geopolitical closeness and belonging to the same cultural circle, was not sufficient enough to overcome the administrative borders which contributed to the Czech-Slovak bipolarity. The analysis shows that even though the dissolution was an issue of political elites, the partition was predominantly caused by the Czech-Slovak dualism which was an after-effect of asynchronous historical development in two different state formations. The heterogeneous historical development resulted in retardation of the Slovak nationalism and unequal positions of the Czechs and Slovaks during Czechoslovakia. This was reflected in different perspectives on the common state and consequent differences in political cultures of Czechs and Slovaks.