Prague, Czech Republic, April 2016 - 412

Czech nationalism is a form of

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: T ...

which asserts that

Czechs The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, c ...

are a

nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective Identity (social science), identity of a group of people unde ...

and promotes the cultural unity of Czechs. Modern Czech nationalism arose in the 19th century in the form of the

Czech National Revival The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech language, culture and national identity. The most prominent figures ...

. In 1848, Czech nationalism became an important political factor in the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

due to the activities of the

Old Czech Party The Old Czech Party ( cz, Staročeši, officially National Party, ''Národní strana'') was formed in the Kingdom of Bohemia and Bohemian Crown Lands of Austrian Empire in Revolution Year of 1848. They initiated Czech national program, formin ...

, led by

František Palacký František Palacký (; June 17, 1798 – May 26, 1876) was a Czech historian and politician, the most influential person of the Czech National Revival, called "Father of the Nation". Life František Palacký was born on June 17, 1798 at Hodsla ...

. During World War I, Czech nationalist politicians, such as Karel Kramář in the

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...

and

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas. It may refer to: * Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia * Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur * Tomáš Berdych ...

abroad, endorsed the idea of independence from

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

rule. After 1918 and the creation of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, the absolute majority of Czech politicians and society adopted

Czechoslovakism Czechoslovakism ( cs, Čechoslovakismus, sk, Čechoslovakizmus) is a concept which underlines reciprocity of the Czechs and the Slovaks. It is best known as an ideology which holds that there is one Czechoslovak nation, though it might also appe ...

, that is, the notion of a unified state including

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to th ...

. The transformation of Czechoslovakia into a liberal

market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers a ...

during the years 1990-1992 saw disputes between Czechs and Slovaks about the character of the Czechoslovak federation. Separatist forces were strengthened by Slovak nationalist aspirations as well as by Czech

economic nationalism Economic nationalism, also called economic patriotism and economic populism, is an ideology that favors state interventionism over other market mechanisms, with policies such as domestic control of the economy, labor, and capital formation, incl ...

, the latter based on the perception that the

were subsidizing less-developed Slovakia. Czechoslovakia was divided into the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Cz ...

and Slovakia, with the Czech Republic becoming independent on 1 January 1993.

List of Czech nationalist political parties

Current nationalist parties or parties with nationalist factions

Right-wing

Freedom and Direct Democracy Freedom and Direct Democracy ( cs, Svoboda a přímá demokracie, SPD) is a right-wing populist political party in the Czech Republic. It is led by Tomio Okamura and it holds 20 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. It has been described as right-wi ...

* Unified – Alternative for Patriots * Tricolour Citizens' Movement * Civic Democratic Party *

Civic Conservative Party The Civic Conservative Party ( sk, Občianska konzervatívna strana, OKS) is a centre-right liberal conservatism, liberal conservative political party in Slovakia. It has two seats in the National Council of the Slovak Republic, National Counci ...

* Svobodní * Party of Common Sense * National Democracy *

Workers' Party of Social Justice Workers' Party of Social Justice ( cs, Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti) is a Czech political party, often described as the major far-right extremist party in the Czech Republic. The party is not represented in any legislative body in t ...

Left-wing

* Czech National Social Party * National Socialists – Left of the 21st century * Party of Civic Rights * Czech National Socialist Party * Czech Sovereignty

Notes

{{Ethnic nationalism Society of the Czech Republic

List of Czech nationalist political parties

Current nationalist parties or parties with nationalist factions

Right-wing

Left-wing

See also

Notes