Sources details of web sites, archives and a list of books i have on the subject. Sorted chronologically from early history to the present. Allies vs axis powers causes of second world war19391945 1 humiliation by the. Czechoslovakia or czechoslovakia was a country in europe. Its territory included some of the most industrialized regions. When, in may, tensions reached a high point, london warned berlin that if it attacked czechoslovakia and the french were embroiled as well, his majestys government could not guarantee that they would not be forced by circumstances to become involved also.
A political history of east central europe since world war ii. The history of the central european nation from its founding to its breakup. Eastern europe everything you need to know about the history and more of a region that shaped our world and still does. The invasion of czechoslovakia by nazi germany in march 1939 helped to precipitate europes descent into world war ii sis months later. But historians have had, until now, only a vague understanding of the roles played by the soviet union and by czechoslovakia, the country whose very existence was at the center of the crisis.
Masaryk was chosen as president on november 14, while he was still in the united states. Although at times it was hard to keep track of all the events happening. In may 1945, american forces liberated the city of plzen. The conflict remains a staple of tv, publishing and cinema two second world war movies, churchill and dunkirk, are currently on release in the uk. Because czechoslovakia all the way through the second world war before the second world war and after the second world war, had one of the most important film industries in the world. The first world war itself sowed the seeds for second world war, primarily because of the humiliating treaty of versailles. On august 20, 1968, tens of thousands of soviet and east european ground and air forces moved into czechoslovakia and occupied the country in an attempt to end the prague spring reforms and restore an orthodox communist regime. We have seen the causes and consequences of the first world war in the last post.
The book contains a lot of information about the various important individuals related to the creation of czechoslovakia, appeasement and world war ii. Slovakia gained nominal independence as a satellite state. Installment 9 czechoslovakia and the tragedy of munich volume i the gathering storm the relations of soviet russia with czechoslovakia. A collection of books confiscated during world war ii is the subject of. In this excerpt, strear looks back on his work liberating a concentration camp in czechoslovakia. An unissued series of 1938 republic of czechoslovakia notes were marked with an identifying oval stamp on the front left side until regular issue could be circulated. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war is an authoritative and objective account. German man who fled czechoslovakia during second world war returns to his family home after 70 years and discovers the possessions his father hid in the roof are. World war ii was the largest and most violent armed con. Following is a selected list of films i recommend for viewing if you want to get a taste of the drama of the events of the occupation of czechoslovakia during world war ii and the cold war. The germans and czechs trying to deal with ghosts of the past. Part 1, france, germany, austria, russia, czechoslovakia, poland and belgium, 193341. In september 1938, hitler had demanded the sudetenland from czechoslovakia or he would take it and the rest of the nation by force. The thing that made this tank so feared and cm flak 40 heavy antiaircraft.
Memories of wartime brutalities revive czechgerman animosity. The union of the czech lands and slovakia was officially proclaimed in prague on nov. Taylor, the origins of the second world war new york. The corner of death novel the corner of death is presented to you in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of czechoslovakia 28th october 1918. German man who fled czechoslovakia during second world war. Knocked out by american fire a mk vi tiger tank at belpasso, sicily, world war ii, italy. Due to their differing wartime experience, this literature typically addresses world war ii in the bohemian lands and slovakia in separate volumes. Recent research on czechoslovakia during world war ii has focused on the nationalist tensions in this multiethnic region. The book is based on true events with an extensive nonfiction background aimed at military history of the. However, the half century that now separates us from that con. Germanys war strategy was assumed by hitler from the first. Liberating a concentration camp in czechoslovakia during. After the end of the second world war it was often very difficult to.
Juxtaposed with histories of the socalled third republic 19458, albrechts article illustrates that complaints of czech borderland organisations after the second world war were rooted in longstanding concerns. This landmark study focuses on events leading to the declaration of war on germany by. It concentrates on the life of milada, an elevenyearold czech girl who lives during world war ii. On general issues of movement of books in czechoslovakia after. Continuity between interwar thoughts and postwar deeds appears as an explicit or implicit theme in several other articles. A personal narrative of a german soldier on the eastern front during ww2. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover.
Czechoslovak history czechoslovakia 191892 britannica. Czechoslovakia was formed from several provinces of the collapsing empire of austriahungary in 1918, at the end of world war i. The books on this page have topics than range from the early history of the area to world war ii. It was largely accomplished by the nations first and second presidents, t. Czechoslovakia during the cold war the second world war. The emergence of czechoslovakia the creation of czechoslovakia was the culmination of the long struggle of the czechs against their austrian rulers. Unl film looks at communist czechoslovakia before velvet. Czechoslovakia during the cold war the second world war june 16, 2008 by marge anderson the settlement in 1968 on the terms of a nuclear nonproliferation treaty to prevent the spread of atomic arms beyond the nations that already possessed them seemed to represent another step forward, but soviet intervention in czechoslovakia in the summer. See more ideas about movies, world war ii and cold war. Czechoslovak society of arts and sciences in america. After the second world war, slovaks and czechs, supported by the allies, reunited and reconstituted the prewar versailles order. List of books and articles about czechoslovakian history. This book is a collection of complete and incomplete diaries from holocaust victims.
Based mainly on archival records of the countries that carried out the forced migrations and of the international humanitarian organizations that tried but failed to prevent the disastrous results, orderly and humane. Jonathan wright has produced the incisive germany and the origins of the second world war palgrave, 2007, while german foreign policy is also explored, as part of the structure of the nazi regime, in richard j evanss the third reich in power penguin, 2005 and, with particular focus on hitlers role. From 21 september 1944, czechoslovakia was liberated by the soviet troops of the red army, supported by czech and slovak resistance, from the east to the west. Except for the brutalities of the german occupation, czechoslovakia suffered relatively little from the war. Second world war first issue of a protectorate of bohemia and moravia 1 koruna note 1939. While world war ii continues to absorb the interest of military scholars and historians, as well as its veterans, a generation of americans. In mid1938 nazi germany took over czechoslovakia and split off slovakia.
Someone named eva is a young adult novel by joan m. Curiosity about an old czech book several years ago i bought an old secondhand book with connections to czechoslovaks in britain during the second world war. The political scene in czechoslovakia following world war ii was complex, to say the least. After world war ii, extensive unprecedented transfer of cultural assets. Leonard strear was awarded two purple hearts for his service in world war ii. In the autumn of 1938, europe betrayed the czechs at munich.
The munich crisis of 1938, in which great britain and france decided to appease hitlers demands to annex the sudentenland, has provoked a vast amount of historical writing. It split off from austriahungary in 1918 and split apart in 1993. New book sheds light on the postwar hunt for nazi war criminals in. As the shadow of the second world war crept across the european landscape, czechoslovakias greatest fears came to fruition. After the second world war, unlike the other nations in the soviet block, czechoslovakia began to stress heavy industry and consumer goods over agricultural and services. We have compiled a selection of books that cover the history of prague and what is now the czech republic. This landmark study focuses on events leading to the declaration of war on germany by great britain and france.
The leader of the soviet communist party, leonid brezhnev, was initially reluctant to use military force and tried to pressure his counterpart in czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia in a nationalist and fascist europe, 1918. Czechoslovak history czechoslovak history czechoslovakia 191892. The czech national library has carried out an ambitiousnot to mention totally fascinatingundertaking. Using the czech diary excerptions that have obviously been translated into english, it is safe to assume that the life of prisoners in czechoslovakia during world war ii. The move, supposedly to protect the sudeten germans, shocked many in europe, who saw it as a clear statement of intent by hitler.
Both france and great britain wanted to avoid another world war and signed the 1938 munich agreement, an appeasement policy, which attempted to sooth the greedy germany into pacify by sacrificing on a minor issue the sudetenland. Bohemia and moravia, today part of the czech republic, was the first. On january 1, 1993, czechoslovakia peacefully split into the czech republic and slovakia. We have said that the events after the second world war were not the. The first volume, the gathering storm, describes his opposition to the appeasement of. And so he did, in the six massive volumes of the second world war. Ihr edition of a book originally published 1941, by theodore n. Children in czechoslovakia during world war ii europe.
When the successful campaign against poland failed to produce the desired peace accord with britain, he ordered the army to prepare for an immediate offensive in the west. Because the propaganda of the communist government and czechoslovakia was pretty, pretty strong. After the outbreak of world war ii, benes set up a provisional government in london, and czech units fought with the allied forces. Czechoslovakia was founded in october 1918, as one of the successor states of the austrohungarian empire at the end of world war i and as part of the treaty of saintgermainenlaye.
Using the czech diary excerptions that have obviously been translated into english, it is safe to assume that the life of prisoners in czechoslovakia during world war ii was horrifying. The myth of czechoslovakia in europe, 19141948 orzoff. This book had such interesting facts about the czech resistance during world war ii. The germans and czechs trying to deal with ghosts of the. The crisis of 1938 some answers seventy years on books. A young concentration camp survivor struggles to resume a normal life in.
We shall see the causes and consequences of the second world war wwii in this post. When the new country of czechoslovakia was proclaimed on oct. Taylor challenges the official version of the causes for world war ii. Koschorrek fought a desperate battle against the russians on the eastern front, he was secretly making a diary of his horrific experiences. Czechoslovakia was a country in central europe that existed from october 1918, when it declared its independence from the austrohungarian empire, until 1992 with a governmentinexile during the world war ii period.
Czechoslovakia, czech and slovak ceskoslovensko, former country in central europe encompassing the historical lands of bohemia, moravia, and slovakia. In the 1946 elections, the communist party of czechoslovakia triumphed among czechs, while 62 percent of slovaks voted for the democratic party. Eduard benes was head of the londonbased czech governmentinexile during the war, and returned to his native land in 1945 to take control of a new national government following the soviet withdrawal in july of that year. The tiger 1 was without a doubt the most feared tank by the allied forces during the second world war. Get out of the heat, start up your air conditioner or fan and discover through film. After six months of the second republic as the old czechoslovakia, minus its border regions, was known bohemia and moravia were occupied by the nazis.