After the separation, mutual accusations of who gained more from the federation ended. The Czechs believed that as an economically better-developed country, they incurred higher costs of coexistence. The Slovaks, in turn, claimed that everything was subordinated to the Czechs, says historian Paweł Ukielski.

TVP WEEKLY: On December 31, 1992, at midnight, Czechoslovakia disappeared from the map of Europe. Is there still nostalgia for the joined country in the Czech Republic and Slovakia?

PAWEŁ UKIELSKI: Yes, but it’s fading. It was much stronger in the 1990s, when many people felt nostalgic for the country where they’d spent their youth or most of their lives. But thirty years after that event, such feelings aren’t as strong. In ten years they will weaken even more. Slovaks and Czechs have already gotten used to the division of Czechoslovakia and to their own countries.

How is the dissolution of Czechoslovakia assessed in the countries that once comprised it?

I don’t know the latest research on the subject, but I’m convinced that, especially in Slovakia, there’s a feeling that ultimately this move turned out well for them. The alarmist opinions that Slovakia was too weak to manage as an independent country haven’t panned out. Of course, in the initial years, under the government of Vladimír Mečiar, who isolated Slovakia somewhat, there was turbulence. The country flirted with Russia, was lagging behind in negotiations with the European Union and did not join NATO in the first round of the Alliance’s enlargement. But despite this, the Slovaks managed to create their own state structures. Of course, they aren’t without weaknesses, which was especially visible after the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak (murdered in 2018 together with his fiancée – ed.), which triggered strong protests and the feeling that things weren’t working as they should and the country needed fixing.

Was Czechoslovakia more Czech or Slovak?

The Slovaks wanted to be more visible as a nation, while for the Czechs, what was Czech and what was Czechoslovak was synonymous, they identified Czechoslovakia with the Czech state. They even took over the Czechoslovak flag, which went against the arrangements for the dissolution of the country. For the Czechs, the “loss” of Czechoslovakia was like the loss of their own country. A trip into the Tatra Mountains is a trip abroad, admittedly nearby and to a friendly country and nation, but still abroad. But it must also be made clear that the Czechs didn’t strive to maintain the unity of the country at all costs. As the stronger partner in the federation, they didn’t impose their will on the Slovaks and didn’t want to keep them in a common country by force, as was the case in the federations that fell apart in an extremely turbulent way.

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