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TerritorialAdministrativeDivisionoftheCzechRepublic…
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self-governmentissupportedbytheprincipleofsubsidiarity,whichaimstoensure
thatallmeasuresaretakenascloseaspossibletothecitizens,i.e.atthelowestlevel
ofadministrationthatallowstheirimplementationorenforcement.Modernstates
areusuallynotabletoensuretheexerciseofpublicpoweronlythroughcentral
statebodies,theyneedtohavepublicadministrationofcesspreadthroughoutthe
territory[Balik2009:12].
TraditionofregionalsystemintheCzechRepublic
TetraditionofregionalsystemintheCzechlandsdatesbacktothe13thcentury.
Regionsexistedwithinthehistoricallandsandtheirnumberhaschangedsignifi-
cantly.Forexample,inBohemiathenumberofregionsrangedbetween12and16.
InMoravia,regionswereestablishedearlier,inthe16thcentury,aspartofthedefense
againsttheTurkishdanger.InSilesia,wecanseesomedevelopmentespeciallyafer
1742,whenonlyasmallpartofitremainedintheCzechlands,andtherestbecame
afliatedtothethenPrussia.Afer1848,whenlocalself-governmentunitsappeared,
theregionsperformedthefunctionof,especially,stateadministrationandtherewere
twotracksofthestateadministrationandself-governmentbodiesfunctioning.Self-
governmentischaracterizedbyelectedrepresentativesandhasthreelevels,namely
themunicipality,thecountry,andtheentiremonarchy.Stateadministrationismore
complicatedandhasfourlevels(thedistrict,theregion,thecountry,andthewhole
monarchy).SincetheestablishmentoftheindependentCzechRepublic,territorial
divisionhasbeencloselyconnectedtothepoliticaladministrationofthestate.Since
1918,therehasbeenadisputebetweenthesupportersoftheprovincialandtheregional
establishment,thecourseandresultsofwhichdeterminedtheterritorialdivisionof
thestate[Pavličeketal.2001:437].OneofthebasicconflictareasoftheFirstRepublic
(1918-1938)wastheproblemoftheorganizationofCzech-Slovakrelations.Te
nationalquestioncomplicatedtheestablishmentoftheindependentstateandtrans-
ferredintoitoneofthekeycontroversialmomentsoftheHabsburgmonarchy.Te
solutionwassupposedtobetheideaofCzechoslovakismasapracticalembodiment
of“theissueofthenecessarymajority”
.Teso-calledCzechoslovaknationwassup-
posedtotakeovertheleadingroleinthenewlycreatedstatebothquantitativelyand
withreferencetohistoricaldevelopmentsandconstitutionalrights.Teartificialidea
oftheCzechoslovaknation,however,greatlycomplicatedtherelationshipbetween
theCzechandSlovakrepresentations[Baliketal.2003:79].Fromthepointofview
oftheterritorial-administrativearrangement,theprocessofgradualdestructionof
centralinstitutionsstartedatthebeginningofOctober1938infavouroftheSlovak
andpartlyalsoSubcarpathianauthorities[Baliketal.2003:96].Intheprotectorate
era,theterritorialself-governmentbasicallyceasedtoexist[Baliketal.2003:103].
