Státnost druhé republiky a její tvůrci

Doc. PhDr. Jan Rataj, CSc., of the Faculty of International Relations, University of Economics, presented an article called “Statehood of the Second Republic and Its Creators”. He is not confined only or mainly to the international position of the “Second Republic” and the relations of curtailed Czecho-Slovakia to Germany in particular. For him the Second Republic is not only a victim of inevitably following stage of pressure from outside. He deals mainly with the placement of powers and working of streams in domestic policy of state and he discusses the internal situation of a curtailed Czecho-Slovakia. He does not pay much attention to what was going on in Slovakia after Munich. He concentrates first of all on the people, directions and streams of the Czech-Moravian scene, for which Munich was either simply victory or at least sufficient satisfaction, a proof showing that they “had always been right in their scepticism to Czechoslovak statehood in general and to Masaryk’s idea of a democratic state in particular”. The author deals with various bearers of these ideas, various – as he calls them – winners in “autumn revolution”. And again, he does not high light the role of Czech fascists, who were later for six years trying to persuade the invaders that they would be more reliable and ardent collaborators than the protectorate government and official administration. The author deals mostly with bearers of the idea of so-called “Saint Wenceslas statehood”. This idea, to which the Second Republic gave birth, was abused by the invaders for the final solution of the Czech Question. The author illustrates this fact by a quotation of Adolf Hitler, who says: “Hácha must be presented as one of the greatest men of the world, if he leaves a testament for Czechs, that will mean their end. His name must be pronounced together with the name of King Wenceslas, so that any coward can refer to him. His successor? Not a real man! We will always get along with cowards more easily than with brave men. Best we will do Czechs in if we influence them through that kind of people, without a break and for a long period of time.” (A. Hitler, Monologues in the Leader’s Main Seat 1941–1944, ed. J. Hrbek, Prague, 1995, p. 186.)