Archive: History | First republic First republic
The Czechoslovak legions: myth, reality, gold and glory
The Czechoslovak legions occupy an almost legendary place in Czech history.
They comprise the armed forces that fought during and after World War I on
the allied side in pursuit of an independent Czechoslovakia. The biggest
force, and most potent myths, centre on the Russian force, which became
embroiled in the civil war, spending three years and travelling thousands
of miles before returning home. We look at the myths and facts about their
exploits. More
Post-WWII political leader Prokop Drtina subject of new biography
The 1948 communist takeover of Czechoslovakia remains a trauma for many
Czechs today. Could the country’s fall under Soviet domination have been
prevented? Why did Czechoslovak politicians of the era so severely
underestimate the threat of communism? These are some of the issues
discussed in a new biography of the politician Prokop Drtina, one of the
key figures of the brief period between the end of the war and the start of
the communist regime. More
Music of the First Republic
The independence of Czechoslovakia, which we celebrate each October 28, was
the result of a movement of many decades, and when at least it came, in
1918, after four hard years of war, the joy must have been very palpable.
There are so few alive today who can remember that period, but it is
certainly not lost to us, and one of the ways we can relive it is through
the music of the day.
More
Jaroslav Preiss: banking and business colossus of inter-war Czechoslovakia
The name Jaroslav Preiss does not create many ripples when it is thrown out
today. Perhaps one Czech in a hundred could identify who he was. But at the
birth of Czechoslovakia and in the 1920s and 1930s, Preiss was an economic
and business colossus and contributed to making the country into a major
industrial player between the wars. Chris Johnstone looks at the life of
the controversial figure. More
Emanuel Moravec – the face of Czech collaboration with the Nazis
Some figures are cast as heroes and others as villains. Emanuel Moravec -
the face, voice and main force behind Czech collaboration with the
occupying Nazis during WWII - unmistakeably belongs to the latter category.
For his actions he became dubbed ‛the Czech Quisling’ – a reference
the more famous Norwegian collaborator. In this week’s Czechs in History,
Chris Johnstone explores Moravec’s complex character and path to
collaboration. More
Reinhard Heydrich: the Butcher of Prague
At the end of September 1941, Hitler appointed Reinhard Heydrich as acting
Reichsprotektor of occupied Bohemia and Moravia. The radio reported on his
inauguration at Prague Castle, and the sound of the SS military band
hammering out the German national anthem followed by the Horst Wessel song
still sends a shiver down the spine. More
In the footsteps of their father: The journey of Mary and George Jaksch
In 1939, the chairman of the German Social Democratic Workers Party in the
Czechoslovak Republic, Wenzel Jaksch, saw himself forced to escape his
native land after it was invaded by Germany – staying would have put him,
who opposed the growing influence of the Nazis in Sudeten-German politics,
in grave danger. Wenzel Jaksch successfully escaped to London, via the
Beskydy Mountains and Poland. He later shared his amazing story – and
based on his written account, his children, George and Mary Jaksch, have
set out for a pilgrimage in their father’s footsteps, over 70 years
later. More
Edvard Beneš: a choice of evils
In sombre tones the second Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš announced
his resignation on Czechoslovak Radio on October 5 1938. Since becoming
president in 1935, he had been haunted by the spectre of Nazi Germany, as
Hitler had fuelled separatist sentiment among the country’s 3.5 million
German speakers. Here is an extract from one of President Beneš’ vain
appeals for reconciliation, in April 1938. More
Karel Kramář: first Czechoslovak PM but flawed popular politician
Karel Kramář earned his place in history as the first prime minister of
Czechoslovakia. But his political career spanned more than four turbulent
decades. We look at a life than included a death sentence, assassination
attempt and birth of a new state. More
The occupation of 1939: could it have been avoided?
Earlier this week we remembered the 72nd anniversary of the German
occupation of Bohemia and Moravia on March 15 1939. Much has been written
about the years that led up to the occupation: the growing tensions with
Czechoslovakia’s German speaking minority, Hitler’s rise to power in
Germany and then the Munich Agreement of September 1938 that ceded a
quarter of Czechoslovakia’s territory to the German Reich. There is a
sense of inevitability about the events, but could things have been
different and could Czechoslovakia’s President Edvard Beneš have played
his cards differently? More
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