The comparison of population development in Croatia and Czech Republic from 1971 to the present

U radu je izvršena usporedba suvremenih obilježja stanovništva Hrvatske i Češke te pregled demografskog razvoja dviju država u posljednja četiri međupopisna razdoblja. Sedamdesetih godina prošlog stoljeća u bivšim je socijalističkim europskim državama komunistička ideologija bila na svom vrhuncu, što nije zaobišlo ni tadašnje Jugoslaviju i Čehoslovačku. Zaostajanje poljoprivrede, ruralni egzodus te s druge strane nagli razvoj sekundarnih djelatnosti, koji je pratila snažna urbanizacija te vrlo često i ekološki problemi bili su stvarnost u objema državama sve do početka 1990-ih godina. Novo je desetljeće donijelo raspad socijalizma što je, unatoč brojnim prednostima, pred osamostaljene Hrvatsku i Češku postavilo veliki izazov suočavanja s novonastalim uvjetima ekonomskog prestrukturiranja i privatizacije. Sva se ta društveno-gospodarska zbivanja mogu jasno iščitati iz demografskih obilježja obiju zemalja: od druge faze demografske tranzicije u 1970-ima i zamjetnog prirodnog prirasta, preko nešto slabije stope rasta stanovništva osamdesetih godina nakon koje je uslijedilo razdoblje duboke krize zbog korjenitih promjena u političkim i gospodarskim sustavima dviju država. Upravo se u idućem desetljeću, odnosno u posljednjih 15-ak godina demografske i gospodarske sudbine Hrvatske i Češke počinju razilaziti. Dok je Češka do danas osigurala demografski i gospodarski porast i postala najrazvijenija među državama nekadašnje istočne „polovice“ Europe, Hrvatska se suočava s depopulacijom uzrokovanom kako prirodnim, tako i mehaničkim kretanjem te vrlo slabim gospodarskim napretkom.This thesis compares the current characteristics of Croatian and Czech population. It also gives an overview of the demographic development of the two countries in the last four intercensal periods. The communist ideology has reached its peak during the 1970s in the former socialist European countries, including the former Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. The inadequate development of agriculture, rural exodus and, on the other hand, the rapid development of industry and mining, followed by strong urbanization and frequent environmental problems were important issues in both countries until the early 1990s. The new decade brought forward the disintegration of socialism which, despite its many benefits, posed a major challenge to the newly independent Croatia and the Czech Republic, which now had to face the new conditions of economic restructuring and privatization. All of these socio-economic developments were made obvious in the demographic characteristics of both countries in the second phase of demographic transition in the 1970s, and in considerable natural increase of population: starting from somewhat weaker growth rate of the population during the eighties and followed by a period of severe crisis due to the radical changes in politics and economy of the two countries. It is in the next decade, more precisely, in the last 15 years, that the demographic and economic fate of Croatia and Czech Republic have begun to differ. While the Czech Republic has to this date enabled demographic and economic growth and has become the most developed among the countries belonging to the former eastern "half" of Europe, Croatia is facing population decline caused by both natural change and migration, accompanied by poor economic progress