Reasons for the Break-up of Czechoslovakia: 10 Years On, an Analysis

The break-up of Czechoslovakia was contraty to the wishes of the population. In opinion polls both Czechs and Slovaks spoke against dividing the Czechoslovak Federation. The issue was not submitted to a referendum. The country's split can be seen primarly as a consequence of different political cultures of Czechs and Slovaks, problems of statehood persisting since the Czechoslovak state was founded in 1918, an adaptation crisis in the process of transition to democracy and a market economy, resurgence of nationalism following the fall of communism, as well as other interdependent factors. The split in 1992 was driven by specific personal interests of the protagonists of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), who sought major highly rewarding positions in the leadership of the country and a share in the privatisation of Slovak state property.