THE FEDERAL STATE AND THE BREAKUP OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA - AN INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS

This article examines the breakup of Czechoslovakia from an institutio nalist perspective. The federal state adopted after World War I failed to accomodate tensions in society and heightened ethnic conflict. Aft er World War II, an ''asymmetrical'' federation was created that, whil e designed to provide a degree of home rule to Slovakia, further alien ated Slovaks from national politics. Each effort to reform the federal order unintentionally prompted new concerns over the balance of polit ical power. The inability to construct an enduring federal state helps explain why the transition from communism proved fatal for the union that was Czechoslovakia.