Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic in World Politics

Political scientists Cabada and Waisová have authored a book that centers on forces, events, and issues long addressed by scholars: Austrian imperial rule over the Czechs up to WW I; the interwar period marked by growing political instability in then independent Czechoslovakia against the backdrop of fascism menacing Europe; Nazi Germany's absorption of the Czech lands and its domination of nominally independent Slovakia; Soviet hegemony in Eastern and Central Europe (including the reconstituted Czechoslovakia) from the end of WW II until the dissolution of the Soviet empire and the Soviet Union itself, marking the end of the Cold War; and the post-Cold War period to the present, with the Czechs and Slovaks split apart once again and their two sovereignties incorporated into the EU and NATO. This anguishing history has shaped Czech perspectives and actions in the international sphere. Czech foreign policy continues to evoke the principal lesson drawn from Jaroslav Ha^Dvsek's great novel The Good Soldier Schweik: be compliant, not overtly rebellious in the face of insurmountable external pressures and threats. The book will appeal mostly to specialists on Czech and central European affairs. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate and professional collections. * CHOICE *
Written by distinguished experts in the field, this book offers rich and correct information as well as a deep understanding of history and the contemporary position, priorities, and ways of Czechoslovak and Czech foreign policy since the birth of Czechoslovakia from the First World War to present times. Clear in the structure, comprehensive in the scope, accessible in the style and, detailed in analysis, this book is a must for any reader who would like to get solid knowledge and orientation not only in Czech foreign policy but also in the broader context of Central European international relations in the present and recent past. -- Vit Houek, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Cabada and Waisová create a great mixture of historical and chronologically arranged chapters and sections that are thematically organized. They provide a valuable and interesting contribution based on a unique Czech perspective and they remind us of the value of a single-country book. Cabada and Waisová skillfully navigate the terrain of showing their true colors and at the same time, providing a good model to follow for works anchored in non-globally-western, non-globally-northern perspectives. -- Melinda Kovács, Sam Houston State University