The most striking difference between the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic is in their relationship with churches and institutionalized religion in general. While the Catholic or Evangelical Church was to a large extent the source of Slovak national founder figures, and the churches were thus perceived as an ally in building a national identity, in the Czech Republic, the churches, primarily Catholic, were allies of the imperial Vienna (Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire), against which the Czech national representatives struggled. In terms of building a national identity, the relationship to the church in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic was the exact opposite.
What else does the comparison of Czechs’ and Slovaks’ trust in institutions in the civic sector, education and the economy tell us?
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