Tradition and the Current State of Czech-Swedish Relations

The diploma thesis focuses on the nature of Czech-Swedish relations, where it examines their historical roots, and monitors, how and whether are the historical events inscribed into the current bilateral relations. The aim of the thesis is to define the foundations of Czech-Swedish relations, chart the formative factors that influenced their development through historical analysis, and to observe whether historical topics affect the bilateral relations in the present. The first part of the thesis lays out the theoretical basis, in which it focuses on the possibilities of small and middle states in their foreign policies, transmits this knowledge to the Czech Republic and Sweden and finally defines the foundations which framed the Czech-Swedish relations. The second part of the thesis conducts the historical analysis, in which it monitors the evolution of each country in given historical period and eventually compares their international position and states relevant interactions between each other. The final part focuses on the key foreign-policy areas, that accompanied Czech-Swedish relations in the past, and analysis their current form with an emphasis on possible historical determinants. The research carried out identifies central characteristics of Czech-Swedish relations and defines key elements that influenced their evolution and intensity. Based on the stated findings it is possible to further develop a discussion about relations between Czech state and other countries of the Scandinavian peninsula, just as the research conducted could be used as a pillar for possible discussions about the Czech-Swedish future and the identification of strong and weak points in their bilateral relations.