Area G

Czechoslovakia: an international project

Panel G1: International provision of the establishment of the state and the origins of its diplomacy

What were the political views held by the Great Powers at the end of the First World War, and how were these views changing? What were the wider international contexts of the establishment of Czechoslovakia and other successor states, and how were the efforts to secure their international status in the early post-war years (until 1926) effectuated? In addition to these questions, this section focuses on the peace conference in Paris, the international recognition of Czechoslovakia, and the relations of Czechoslovakia with the victorious and defeated Great Powers and other successor states. Attention should also be paid to Czechoslovakia's pursuit of economic and political stability in Central Europe in the post-war years and the establishment of the Little Entente, the Locarno Conference, and the related change of power relations in Europe. We will also inquire about the quality of this stability, or more precisely, its power and geopolitical foundation.

Petr Prokš (chair)

Panel G2: Foreign revolutions on the horizon

The revolutionary situation in certain countries (Russia, soviet republics in Central Europe, etc.) influenced other countries both directly and indirectly. The fear of the political and economic elites of revolution undoubtedly facilitated the enforce-ment of a number of other difficult-to-enforce measures in the areas of social and labour legislation or land reform. The monitored period also brought a number of stimuli due to the radicalization of the opinions of part of the population of the Czechoslovakia and other Central European countries. The opinions of some resulted from their personal experience with the war (the Red Legionaries and internationalists, participants in military insurrections), while others based them on their experience resulting from their background. It also led to a rise and a spread of fear of revolution among groups of people, who perceived it as dangerous (e.g. large part of the political representation, cultural elites and the media). What actors participated in creating and interpreting the image of "revolution on the horizon"? What development in this direction do we record in the years 1918-1925, and to what extent did the idea of revolutions contribute to the legitimizing of, and later, also the maintaining of the status quo in, post-war Czechoslovakia? These are just some of the questions we wish to deal with in this section.

Emil Voráček – Jan Lomíček (chair)