Czech-German Relations after the Fall of the Iron Curtain

Abstract

Explores Czech-German relations from 1989/90, ie, the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall & the start of democratic reforms in former Czechoslovakia, through the signing of the Czech-German declaration on mutual relations & their future development in Jan 1997. Relations between these countries before 1989 are outlined, with emphasis on the meaning & practical implementation of the Prague Agreement of 1973. Following German unification & the dissolution of the Czechoslovak Federation, relations between the two nations were cautious, as evidenced by negotiations on the Czechoslovak-German treaty signed in Feb 1992. After the birth of the Czech Republic, relations became intensified in the economic sphere, but stagnated politically. The events that arose from the 1938 Munich Agreement, as well as the consequences of German occupation & the postwar transfer of Sudeten Germans, remained the subject of debate & controversy. Negotiations leading to the 1997 signing of the Czech-German declaration clarified all aspects of bilateral problems & speeded up the dialogue between both societies. It is argued that the quality & stability of Czech-German relations are directly linked to the creation of a new, unified, & peaceful Europe.