Idea národa československého na stránkách týdeníku Přítomnost (1924–1938)

The liberal-democratic weekly Pritomnost played a very important role among the Czechoslovak periodicals during the existence of the First Czechoslovak Republic. It helped shape the spiritual and political atmosphere in the country. Its focus could not avoid the relations between Czechs and Slovaks, whose coexistence constituted the main axis of political stability in the new state. From the very beginning these relations were complicated by the idea of 'Czechoslovak Nation' that was intended to compensate for the absence of a 'state-forming nation'. Being weaker partners, the Slovaks viewed this concept as a discriminating factor and felt a need to preserve their national identity. A debate on different aspects of this ideological construction started on the pages of the above weekly. Heavy polemic focused on the notion of what was called 'Czechoslovak language', formally including both Czech and Slovak. However, the whole complex of Czecho-Slovak relations failed to be solved, and in the 1930s the debate on the idea of common Czechoslovak State was pushed into the background by a stronger struggle of the Slovak side for Slovakia's autonomy. Research into the debate may help us better learn the character of the First Czechoslovak Republic as an important stage in the evolution of Czech and Slovak society.