L9. State Fragmentation and Federalism

Question 1

Describe the fall of communism in East and Central Europe

Answer 1

1989-1990: Rapid fall of communist governments across East and Central Europe
- fall of governments

Question 2

What was the conversation about nationalism and the fall of communist states?

Answer 2

• With the fall of the USSR, nationalism becomes the sole basis of political solidarity (Has unchallenged legitimacy)
• Where nationalism claims abstract future goals, communism promised material goals in the present
• Which made communism easy to compare (negatively) to nationalism
• Saw a resurgence of primordialist national identities (Which had once been suppressed by the Austro-Hungarians, then the USSR)

Question 3

What are lessons of a Post-communist period?

Answer 3

• Federal institutions facilitated nationalist splits
• no non-federal systems disintegrated
• nationally heterogeneous unitary states survived

Question 4

What is the myth of the nation-state?

Answer 4

The nation-state is an ideal, not reality
- it is a helpful, useful fiction
- few truly homogenous national populations

Question 5

What are common strategies of heterogeneous states?

Answer 5

ethno-nationalism
- genocide (cultural as well)
- Exclusion
Civic (territorial) nationalism
- Membership in a nation is based on shared ideals, common loyalty, or existence in a territory
- In principle is inclusionary - not so much in practice
- Civic principles often clash with cultural identity - can be hard to distinguish with cultural genocide (i.e. France banning hijabs)
Multi-national identity
- logically incoherent, politically brilliant

Question 6

Define Federalism (6 criteria)

Answer 6

• 2 or more separate levels of government (each level has distinct spheres of authority/competence)
• Separate territorial spheres or authority (commonly have geographic variation)
• allocation of resources to each (no unit is completely dependent on each other)
• Representation of federated unites (bodies meant to represent the interest of the units
• Contractual or constitutional division of authority (one side doesn’t have the power to completely change the agreement, units aren’t subordinate to federal government)
• national government has a direct relationship with citizens (can’t be through federated units, commonly through guarantee of individual rights)

Question 7

Dual federation vs. Joint federation

Answer 7

Dual
- doesn’t exist in practice
- ideal
- sphere of federal authority and sphere of federated unity authority
- under this system the federal government has the most power
Joint
- actual practice
- there are areas were federal gov and units share authority and others were they have say in eachother

Question 8

How does ethnofederalism work as a strategy?

Answer 8

• based on internal territorial division along national, ethnic and linguistic lines
• ‘Ethno’federalism is seen as “freezing” what would otherwise be transitory ethnic or regional differences