The Czech Republic: A Nation of Velvet

193 Pages·2000·1.21 MB·English

by  Rick Fawn

The Czech Republic
Postcommunist States and Nations
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The Czech Republic
A NATION OF VELVET
Rick Fawn
harwood academic publishers
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chronology vi
Preface xii
Glossary of Abbreviations xiv
Map of the Czech Republic xvi
1 The Legacies of History: From the Foundation to the 1
Velvet Revolution and the Velvet Divorce
2 Framing Velvet: The Institutional Arena and Rules of the 39
Game in Czech Politics
3 Patchwork Velvet: The Burst Bubble of the Czech 83
Economic Transformation
4 Exporting Velvet: The Czech Republic’s Foreign Policy 131
5 A Nation of Velvet? Towards a New Czech National 159
Identity
Bibliography 167
Index 170
CHRONOLOGY
1918
28 October ‘Bloodless revolution’ when the Czechoslovak
Committee announced the separation from Austria-
Hungary of the Czech and Slovak lands.
11 November Proclamation of the Republic of Czechoslovakia.
1935
Treaties of Mutual Assistance signed separately with
France and the Soviet Union; Beneš succeeded
Masaryk as President.
1938
September Munich Agreement; Sudetenland given to Germany.
1939
March Bohemia and Moravia annexed to Germany;
independent Slovakia proclaimed.
1944
August Slovak national uprising.
1945
5 April Košice Programme set postwar agenda.
29 June Carpathia transferred to USSR.
1946
16 May Communists won 38 percent in free election.
1948
25 February Communists in power and date after which seizures
of property were restituted in post-communist
Czechoslovakia.
9 May New constitution proclaimed Czechoslovakia a
‘people’s democracy’.
1949–1952
vii
Intensified political persecution, including ‘show
trials’ of leading communists such as Slánský.
1953
March Gottwald’s death follows Stalin’s; Novotný became
KSČ leader; Zápotocký President.
1968
5 January Reformist Communists in power, led by Dubček.
April Action Programme launched; called for revisions to
socialism in practice.
August Warsaw Pact intervention.
1969
1 January Czechoslovakia became federal political system when
the only Prague Spring reform to be retained was
implemented.
16 January Philosophy student Jan Palach immolated himself to
protest end of Prague Spring.
17 April Dubček formally removed as KSČ leader; replaced by
Husák.
1977
1 January Charter 77 signed by Czechoslovak dissidents such as
Havel; several arrested as they attempted to post the
document to government officials.
1987
April Gorbachev visited Prague.
December Husák succeeded by Jakeš as KSČ leader.
1988
21 August Unsanctioned protests marked 20th anniversary of
Warsaw Pact intervention.
1989
January Unsanctioned commemoration of death of Jan Palach
broken up by police; many arrested, including Havel
who was again sentenced to prison.
17 November Officially sanctioned student march attacked by
police; injuries and rumours of a student death
brought people out in support; peaceful protests of
hundreds of thousands follow; umbrella opposition
groups Civic Forum and Public Against Violence
formed.
viii
21 November PM Ladislav Adamec opened nominal talks with
opposition.
27 November Two-hour orderly general strike involving millions.
29 November Federal Assembly annulled KSČ’s monopoly of
power.
3 December Adamec’s proposal of communist-dominated
coalition government rejected.
10 December Coalition government formed; 13 of 21 posts held by
non-communists, although new Prime Minister
Marian Čalfa was still KSČ member, he left the party
in January.
28 December Dubček elected speaker of Federal Assembly.
29 December Havel elected President by Federal Assembly.
1990
19 April Czechoslovakia officially renamed the Czech and
Slovak Federative Republic.
8–9 June First fully free elections after communism; Civic
Forum and Public Against Violence won majority and
created broad coalition government of all major
parties, except Communist.
5 July Havel re-elected President by the new parliament.
September Parliament’s ‘November 17 Commission’ established
to investigate the Velvet Revolution and connections
of MPs to the previous regime; start of the ‘lustration’
process.
22 September Czechoslovakia admitted to IMF.
December Power-sharing agreement between federal
government and republics passed by federal
parliament.
December Central Bank devalued Czechoslovak crown, made it
internally convertible.
1991
1 January Price liberalization; trade with former socialist
countries to be conducted hereafter in hard currency.
February Civic Forum split into Klaus’s centre-right Civic
Democratic Party and Dienstbier’s centre-left Civic
Movement.
March Pro-independence demonstrations in Slovakia; Havel
attacked by protestors in Bratislava; Mečiar made new
ix
faction within Public Against Violence called Public
Against Violence-for a Democratic Slovakia.
May Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS)
registered as new political party; a founding Congress
was then held in June.
13 June Large-scale privatization begun.
21 June Last Soviet soldier left Czechoslovakia, ahead of the
agreed end of June deadline.
1 July Warsaw Pact formally disbanded itself at a meeting
in Prague.
1992
12 February ‘Milovy Agreement’ for common state.
May First wave of coupon privatization begun.
June Elections resulted in continued coalition of ODS,
KDU-ČSL and ODA.
June Čalfa’s federal government resigned; interim
government established under Jan Stráský.
3 July Havel did not secure re-election as President;
further attempts failed.
20 July Havel resigned as President.
23 July Klaus and Mečiar concluded agreement for
separation of state, including a requirement of 60
percent majority vote in each republic’s parliament.
13 November Law on the separation of the Federation passed;
included provisions for the division of federal
property between the two constituent republics.
16 December Czech Constitution adopted.
19 December Czech National Council rejected filling new Czech
Senate with sitting Czech members of the Federal
Parliament; Senate to be empty until January 1997.
20 December The Czech Republic entered Central European Free
Trade Area with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
1993
1 January Czech Republic officially in existence.
26 January Havel elected President of the Czech Republic;
sworn in a week later.
8 February Czech Crown introduced.