Through an Ethnic Prism: Germans, Czechs and the Creation of Czechoslovakia

by Stephen M. Thomas (?), Karen Alexander (Editor), Vladimir Pistalo (Editor), Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (Editor)

Overview

This book meticulously recreates the most important episodes in Czech-German relations in what is now the Czech Republic. Drawing on extensive archival research, Stephen M. Thomas depicts the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic from the ruined Austro-Hungarian empire and examines political and public life between world wars via the ethnic rivalry between Germans and Czechs. He questions the nature, legitimacy and political viability of the nation state, and especially its relationship to ethnic minorities, such as the Slovaks. Confrontational nationalism and the use of ethnicity as a political tool are no less common today than they were in the 20th century. This book’s radical contribution to studies of nationalism and ethnicity is that it juxtaposes German and Czech perspectives of power and oppression as part of the same story. This framework allows us to appreciate new complexities regarding the creation of Czechoslovakia and ponder them in 21st century terms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783110749953
Publisher:	De Gruyter
Publication date:	11/08/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Stephen M. Thomas, Council for a Livable World, Washington D.C., USA.