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Geopolitics of Central Europe - a historical perspective

Publication at Faculty of Social Sciences |
2015

Abstract

Geopolitics may be summed up as an approach exploring the relationship of the country or its space, and state. Geopolitics cannot be objective assessments, of fact it will always be subjective in terms of major players, of which Central Europe is Germany and Russia.

Central Europe is a logical buffer zone between Western and Eastern Europe, not only in terms of geography, but of course security, institutional or even cultural, and logically economic too. For centuries, Central Europe was the subject of interest, often conflict between the powerful Germanic and Russian historical states.

While a thousand years, Central Europe is subject primarily Germanic influence, after World War II fell into the Soviet sphere of power. Vector Berlin-Moscow was a murderous for Central European countries - continuously since the 18th century to the 20th century.

A Russian vector of power is not the end - twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Russia surprised that Central European countries really want to break away from the Russian sphere of influence. Geopolitical significance of the Central European region contributed initially primarily economic characteristics, initially free territory for its colonization, therefore so called Ostsiedlung by Germanic tribes.

Political changes - the formation of early medieval statehood within Central Europe is associated with the acquisition of a hereditary king's title and Christianization. An important proof of emancipation had become the ecclesiastical investiture - the right to decide on filling ecclesiastical authorities and their autonomy.

The development of geopolitical importance of Central Europe since the early Middle Ages to the World War I; The geopolitical perspective of Central Europe after World War II; The vision of Central Europe as a cordon sanitaire; Cold War and the Sovietisation of Central Europe.