The Hyphen War in the Discussions of the Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic

The thesis focuses on the first months following the Velvet Revolution. In this period, the Czechoslovak political system is somewhat taken by surprise by new political agenda which becomes as important as the reconstruction of the parliamentary liberal democracy itself. National and ethnic problems emerging since the beginnings of the common state reappeared unexpectedly in the form of the Hyphen War. Besides the institutional framework within which the whole dispute took place, I analyze certain communication problems that not only influenced the form of the negotiations discussing the state name but also indicated the shape of the last years of Czecho-Slovak coexistence within one federation. The main source for analysis of the problem outlined above is the material of Společná česko-slovenská digitální parlamentní knihovna; specifically, a selection of texts composed of parliamentary debates records and stenographic records. Key words: Czechoslovakia; the Hyphen War; political communication; Federal Assembly; transition perio