Archive: History | First republic First republic
President Masaryk takes inspiration from George Washington
Over the next six months we'll be looking at some of the most fascinating
recordings to be found down in the Czech Radio basement. Czech - and
previously Czechoslovak - Radio has been archiving its material since way
back in the 1920s, and has built up one of the richest radio archives in
the world, surviving war, invasion and even a German aerial torpedo in May
1945. We start the series with our very earliest recording, the first
Czechoslovak President, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, talking 79 years ago, on
28th October 1928. President Masaryk was born as far back as 1850, so the
recording really is a bridge to another era.
More
Masaryk's car, preserved against all odds, goes on show in Vienna
A large black 12-cylinder Tatra T 80 from early 1930s that was once the
personal car of first Czechoslovak president Tomas Garrigue Masaryk was
hidden under a pile of tyres during the Second World War. It was later
featured in the collections of the National Technical Museum in Prague, and
has just gone on display at the Chrome Jewels exhibition in Vienna.
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Czechs mark Masaryk anniversary
On Friday September 14th Czechs marked the 70th anniversary of the death of
Tomas Garrigue Masaryk - the first and best-loved president in the
country's history, fondly referred to as "the father of the
nation". The man who stood at the cradle of Czechoslovakia and who
taught Czechs and Slovaks the principles of freedom and democracy still
commands enormous respect. During his life-time Masaryk was a cult figure.
Seventy years after his death Czechs say they still have a lot to learn
from him.
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The diplomat-diarist who bridged Czech, German and Jewish cultures
In the first 20 years of Czechoslovakia's existence, the new nation's most
important neighbor was the huge country lying directly to the North and
West, Germany. A fascinating account of political and cultural relations
between the two nations during that period has just been published - the
diaries of the Czech diplomat Camill Hoffmann.
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Czechs and Rusyns: the ties that bind
National anthems are not just reserved for peoples with a state of their
own. What you heard there is the national anthem of Subcarpathian
Rusyns—or Ruthenians, as they are referred to by some. When Czechoslovakia
was established in 1918, Rusyns were a founding people of the new central
European state. After World War Two, the province of Subcarpathian Rus was
incorporated into Soviet Ukraine and lost to Czechoslovakia, yet the
relationship between Czechs and Rusyns was never emotionally severed and
since 1990 there has been a growing Rusyn revival throughout central
Europe. Although the numbers of Rusyns living in the Czech Republic is
considerably less than that in neighbouring Slovakia, Hungary or Ukraine,
Rusyns here represent a link to the past that's attracting new life.
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Czech Republic marks Tomas Garrigue Masaryk Day
March 7th is Tomas Garrigue Masaryk Day in the Czech Republic. It's a day
which marks the birthday of Czechoslovakia's first president, and gives
many a chance to remember his role in this country's history.
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Newly released documents offer insights into Churchill's plans to avenge a German atrocity against Czechs
Today we look at fascinating wartime documents that reveal Churchill's
plans to destroy German villages in revenge for the Nazi massacre in the
Czech village of Lidice. We see behind the scenes into Churchill's war
cabinet, and witness how the shockwaves from the Lidice massacre reached
as far as the corridors of power in London.
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Czech Radio uncovers long-lost audio from Milada Horakova's trial
The sentencing to death of Czech MP Milada Horakova on trumped up charges
of treason at the height of the Stalinist regime in the 1950s will always
be one of the most painful and chilling moments in Czech history. A little
more than 55 years ago, she faced her show trial with calm and defiance,
refusing to be broken. Audio recordings - intended to be used by the
Communists for propaganda purposes - were mostly never aired, for the
large
part because for the Party's purposes, they were unusable. After Milada
Horakova's trial and execution, much of the material was subsequently
hidden away and and gradually forgotten. Until now. Not long ago, a
number of reels were uncovered by Czech Radio, dating back to the trial's
last
day. More
Can nationalism in Central Europe be a force for good?
This week Czech Books comes from the Irish capital, Dublin. We talk to Dr
Stefan Auer, a lecturer in European politics and society at the Dublin
European Institute at University College. Stefan is originally from
Slovakia, and he has taken a great interest in "liberal
nationalism" in Central Europe. He wrote a book which has as its
basic hypothesis the idea that nationalism, despite its very negative
connotations for many in Central Europe, can also be a force towards
greater democracy.
More
Czechoslovakia: 'Island of Democracy' and refuge between the wars
Czechoslovakia was one of the few states in Europe between the wars with a
genuine parliamentary democracy. The First Republic, as it became known,
was a multiethnic one: apart from Czechs and Slovaks, nearly a quarter of
its people were ethnic Germans; the Tesin region in the north had a large
Polish minority, while South Slovakia and Ruthenia were home to some
three-quarters of a million Hungarians. Up until the Munich Pact of 1938
and subsequent Nazi occupation, Czechoslovakia was a magnet for refugees
from Hitler's Germany, communist Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere, says Dr
David Kraft, curator of the new exhibit "Exile in Prague and
Czechoslovakia 1918-1938". More
