Regional Structural Change and Social Revolution: Development of the Population and Economy in West Bohemia in the Course of the “Velvet Revolution”

Abstract

The Central European states experience a tremendous pressure to adapt and likewise demonstrate the respective structural changes in the light of the transition process. There is continuous change of economic structures in an open liberal economic order. However, this change runs smoothly in comparison to the transition states, in which abrupt falls in industrial production could be seen. In West Bohemia-the area under investigation-this economic structural rupture comes to the fore in the form of a decline of importance of agriculture and industry resulting from the long and extensive privatisation process. The economic structural rupture is also characterised by the growing relevance of the service sector, which was strengthened by the successful small-scale privatisation process and the trend to establish new businesses. When one takes the growing importance of services within industrial businesses into consideration, this tertiary process is even reinforced. Considering the population development in West Bohemia after 1990 as well as the economic structural changes, the border districts of Cheb and Tachov in particular show population growth. The border opening brought about a revial of trade and services (and thus settlement) particularly in the border crossing region towards Bavaria. The Aš area and Tachov region provide a good example of this. Although the net population of West Bohemia has increased since 1990, the population of former growth centers, i.e., towns of more than 5, 000 citizens, show fairly high migration losses.