Prague - Vienna - Warsaw: Three Capital Cities of New Republics. An Attempt at a Comparative View of Their Development in the First Decade after the Great War
Abstract
The article takes a look at three capitals of new Central European republics in the first decade after the First World War, with the authors attempting to identify the best criteria to compare the development of large cities. Quantitative indicators do not capture the complex reality of historical processes and the clash between the general political situation, the question of urban modernisation, the necessity of solving urgent problems of a general social (mainly housing and healthcare) character and the issue of financing the extensive public investments necessary in this period.
Therefore, the authors first look at the self-reflection (or, rather, self-presentation) of the cities themselves during the 10-year anniversary celebrations of the founding of the republic. The second part of the study then, using the example of selected key areas, highlights the reasons and circumstances for the varied success among individual cities.
In the opinion of the authors, the key to understanding the situation is the legislative standing of communal administration and its relationship with the national government.