Abstract
The paper is a contribution to the debate on the causes of the disintegration of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. It accentuates the development of the Slovak nation prior to November 1989 and accompanying circumstances of this fact that were instrumental in the system transformation after November 1989.
Emphasis has also been placed on the key moments of development in 1990-1992, which illustrate a lack of political experience and diversity of transition programmes on the Czech and Slovak political scene, and on the role of specific actors in this process. The basic argument in the text is the idea that in a moment of transition the Slovak nation corresponded to the classification of a fully formed nation; however, this fact alone (independent variable) was not sufficient enough to cause the disintegration of the federal state.