Through an Ethnic Prism: Germans, Czechs and the Creation of Czechoslovakia 9783110749885, 9783110749403

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Stephen M. Thomas Through an Ethnic Prism

Stephen M. Thomas

Through an Ethnic Prism Germans, Czechs and the Creation of Czechoslovakia Edited by Karen Alexander, Vladimir Pistalo and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas With an Introduction by Pedrag Markovic

ISBN 978-3-11-074940-3 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-074988-5 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-074995-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2021943953 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Cover image: T. G. Masaryk přehlíží vojáky“, unknown author (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T._G._Masaryk_přehlíží_vojáky.jpg), marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-old. Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck www.degruyter.com

Chapter 6 The Heyday of the P tka and the P tka s Demise

garded as belo nging to the clerical wing of the party , h e openl y declared to the leaders of his party tha t h e would be prepared to vote for the separation of #&# church and state, if thereby he could break up the all-national coalition. This was not an isolated point of view . Revulsion from the mono -ethnic dominance of the P tka was widespread among the Germans. If the tariff majority perpetuated the new situation, that fact in itself was a m ajor step forward. In forging the new majority , Milan Hod a f aced one remainin g hurdle, the National Democrats acting in this context as the spokesmen for Czechoslovak export industries. Commercial negotiations with the agricultural states of Hungary, Poland and Yugoslavia and with German y were pending. If the Agrarians imposed hig h fixed agricultural tariffs in advance, they could prov e to be obstacles or barriers to the negotiation of satisfactory commercial relations . The posture of the National Democr ats was watchful and app rehensi ve. Hoda d ecided on a confrontational policy . The Agrarian bill introduced in the Sena te on April 21 required the repeal of the sliding tariffs established in Article 2 of the Government Ordinanc e of June 4, 1925, but the retention of the sixfold tariffs based on the old Austria n custom rate as provided in Article 1 of that ordinance. The bill further provided that the government was to proceed immediatel y with new , d efiniti ve tariffs before the negotiation of the commercial treaties. For the National Democrat s, it was a worst-case scenario. Negotiations between the two parties wer e initiated. On Ma y 6, the Agrarians introduced the bill in the Chamber of Deputies which increased their pressure on the National Democrats. In the end a m ut uall y beneficial compromise was reached. In its final and amended form, the bill consisted basicall y of two articles. The first provided a new, very high fixed tariff on most agricultural products and various industrial goods, and the second created a lower rate for most of them , a t reat y rate " The which could be used in negotiating the upcomin g commercial treaties. #& new languag e continued to promot e the interests of the agricultural produce r, while addressin g the needs of the industrial exporter . It marked the final consolidation of the tarif f majority. On May 28th , the parliamentary battle over the tariff legislation began in the Agricultura l Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, wher e ther e were day-andnight sessions, and a n earl y endless stream of amendments was offered. From June 4 th -8th , the frenetic debate was resumed in the Bud get Committee, until Schtz, Hans. Gedank e eines Aktiviste n zur Frage der Chancen und Grenzen des Aktivismus , i n Bosl, Karl, ed., , ( Mu#nchen; Wien: Oldenbourg, 1969), p. 152. PolÆk, E., K o tÆzce rozpadu , p p. 34 36.