Otázka proměny politických elit maloměst po rozpadu Rakouska-Uherska

situation of local political elites in two comparable agrarian small towns from different parts of
Habsburg Monarchy (Uherské Hradiště and Brixen) during crucial time of their transition from
the Austrian rule to different conditions of new states after the WWI. We concentrate on social
background and political and social attitudes of municipal elites, exposed to substantial pressures
for adaptation emerging from deep contextual change with important national-political consequences and linked to democratisation and growing ideologization of political life. The two towns
were determined to take a different path. Brixen was forcibly incorporated into a state with different history and culture and consequently faced establishment of Fascist regime. Political elites
thus were confronted with until then unknown challenges. On the other hand, the transition to
the own republican state represented a fulfilled dream for the citizens of Uherské Hraditě although
local elites had to deal with the rise of new (educated) elites, new political parties and modern
transformational processes. However, political-national fracture accompanied by modernising
tendencies did not bring fundamental discontinuity in the position of municipal elites of both
towns who were still able to maintain political and wider social influence.