Beste Stefan, wat gaaf dat je dit stukje geschiedenis aandacht geeft wat tot een gitzwarte periode daarna van mijn tweede thuis heeft ingeluid. Mijn eerste 20 jaren ben ik opgegroeid met 1 been in Nederland en het andere been in Praag en heb de grote contrasten van dichtbij meegemaakt. Ik was student toen de fluwelen revolutie uitbrak, een emotionele periode die aan deze ellende van 41 jaar een einde maakte. Keep up the good work!
All those who fought in the Czech legion during WW1 would be rolling in their graves when they found out their homeland became a communist state after ww2
Hmmmm, for example WW2 general Svoboda, leader of Czechoslovak army in the USSR during the WW2: He was officer of the Czech Legion fighting bolsheviks 1918-1920! Svoboda did not have issue with fighting alongside soviets against Nazis.... and he became member of the communist party after the WW2, and later became the president of communist Czechoslovakia. Or General Klapalek who led Czechoslovak troops in North African campaign in 1940-1942 (Syria, Tobruk...) and was in 1944 transferred to Soviet Union and led one of the brigades of Czecholsovak army in the USSR.... he was also ex-officer of Czech legion who fought against bolsheviks. He also jopined the communist party after WW2 and supported the comunist coup in 1948. Some crazy real life stories out there:):):) ..... you can not underestimate psychological impact of Munich agreement on Czech society as a whole including ex-Legionnaires. Many of them were ready to forget past and buy into soviet propaganda when they were on the same side against Nazis.....
@@guntherneuwirth349 of course, there were handful of that kind as well. As I wrote, the Munich and collapse of 'everything we believed in' with Munich 1938 (alliance with western democracies, believe in strength of democracy etc) had profound impact on worldview of many. In that sense, Moravec vs Svoboda/Klapalek were not that different in principle.
Vind je videos geweldig maar bij alle "op locatie" videos krijg ik altijd belastingvoordeel op mijn vakantie vibes... Top video non the less! Dodenmars van Brno, vergeten etnische zuivering.
Part of the reason why the Communist Party was so popular in Czechia was because of the ,,western betrayal" and the Munich conference, also called ,,Munich diktat" or ,,about us without us/o nas bez nas", which bred anti-western sentiment.
@@HistoryHustle That's not all. Only 6 political parties of the so-called National Front (2 Slovak and 4 Czech) were allowed. One of the most popular pre-war parties, the Agrarians, was banned. Defacto, only left and centre parties were allowed. Not only Munich but also the liberation of the country by the mostly red army increased the popularity of the communists. Furthermore, after the liberation, NKVD agents were already strongly active on our territory. After the 1946 elections, the Communists occupied the Ministry of the Interior. They systematically occupied key positions already in this period and got rid of their opponents in various ways. The Soviets had our territory in their zone of influence and were not about to let us go. There were 2 variants of taking power by force with their help or through the results of elections. Gottwald is said to have persuaded Stalin to go with the second option. There was to be another election in 1948 and pre-election polls showed the declining popularity of the Communist Party. They had to negotiate, so February 1948 occurred.
@Tovalokodonc So that means the Czechs have no right to cry about Munich agreement? I know that Czechoslovakia didnt do right things even after WW2 towards Germans and Hungarians too. I get it. But youre complaining about Czechoslovaks crying about their historical injustice and at the same time youre the one whos crying about historical injustice of Hungarians. So whats the point of it? :D
@Tovalokodonc The only thing not quite adding up is, Czechoslovakia did not lose any wars prior to the Munich diktat, whereas Hungary as a perpetrator of the WW1 lost quite badly, then lost against the romanians once more, not to talk about the communist coup that totally hindered all of Hungary´s chances on getting off better than it actually did.....So yes, "they (we)" cry, because it was in fact a betrayal :)
Very interesting video,never knew this existed. My father served in the German Wehrmacht during war. He spent two years as a POW in an American prison camp,station outside of Naples, Italy.He was released in 1947. So now I know why he couldn't go back home to Teplice,( in the Sudetenland). Thanks for sharing this interesting topic. Take care!
My Grandfather finished the war in Pilzen, he was a truck driver for 3rd US Army. I spent around 15 years in Germany as US Soldier, some of the best times I ever had 🇩🇪
It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage episode about 3rd Czechoslovaka republic from 1945 to 1948...this information rarely known...with such details. Thank you an excellent ( History Hustle) channel for sharing this magnificent episode, introduced by Sir Stefan 🙏.
Previously, I had an outline understanding of this period in the history of Czechoslovakia, but this is the first TH-cam video I have encountered that gives an in-the-round picture of the events of the time in a nice, neat, concise manner. As time has gone by I have become increasingly aware that the time of Edvard Beneš should not in any way be whitewashed, despite the horror of what was to follow. You made a passing mention of the fate of the ethnic Germans under Beneš, but there were atrocities of a similar scale that affected the ethnic Hungarians, that should not be forgotten.
My roommate was born in Czechoslovakia in 1948. She escaped to Prague in the 60s, and had to wait there for two years before she was allowed to emigrate to the US. She still owns a farm there and goes back twice a year for a month each time, but considers herself a proud American.
@@frenzalrhomb6919 Apparently the Iron Curtain was quite weak in Czechia, an old German teacher of mine that came from former East Berlin talked about one or multiple classmates going missing and escaping to the West through Austria during a school trip to Prague.
Also to note that the biggest opposition to communists were Slovaks who were mostly voting for the Slovak democratic party while Czechs were mostly supporting communists, the Prague coup was initialy planned for 1946 but the SD halted it, the communists needed liquidate the democratic party so they could finally take power in 1948
Well, the communists got 30.5% in Slovakia, and 40% of the vote in Czech part of the country. So while in Slovakia % was less, but not fundamentally less as you seem to claim. In neither part of the country communist got the majority.
Hungary produced both an albeit short-lived communist regime ( under the auspices of Bela Kun, infamously in touch with Lenin via radio throughout his reign ) & a slew of highly influential party activists such as Erno Gero, Georgy Lukacs, Matyas Rakosi, Imre Nagy, & others.
Actually, many West European countries had pre-existing communist parties, infrastructure and support. The communists were very strong in Germany, France, Italy, Greece etc. and in the above mentioned states they almost took power. In this regard (but also many other regards), Czechoslovakia (mostly the Czech part) and East Germany were like West Europe. However, Hungary also had a pre-existing communist history - in 1919 they briefly created the Hungarian Soviet Republic. So it’s not so clear cut as you make it sound. Interesting to note that after the 1948 coup d’état in Czechoslovakia, the West started taking the communists seriously and prevented similar takeovers in Italy, France and Greece. Otherwise, these countries could have become communist as well. We tend to see history teleologically but in the late 40s, it really wasn’t given that the Iron Curtain would separate Europe along the line it did. There were other possibilities.
Always had an obsession with CZ. In the early 1990s I was a Soldier in the US Army stationed in Germany and would often travel there. Found out recently through my great grandmother was from Bohemia. Want to visit again soon. Thanks for another fine documentary 😊
It's even more simple, western and soviet generals made a line on map and it was done, we just ended in soviet occupation zone and americans were banned from going more east even when they were able to help several days before soviets arrived.
In November 1992, the federal legislature voted to divide Czechoslovakia. Having drafted separate constitutions, the two new countries, Slovakia and the Czech Republic (later Czechia), formally came into being on January 1, 1993.
Benes failed Czechoslovakia. He failed to stand up to Hitler and lost his country, then he did the same thing again after World War II with Stalin. A man without backbone.
nah I would recomend you watch tv series České století or read about the events. With up to 3 mills. of sudeten germans defending borders alone without french and UK while also threatened from south (annexed austria where fortifications were weak and also from possibly from hungary) and from Poles (because Těšínsko) would have been pointless. Beneš decision to resign and then make the protektorate seem illegitimate while also securing Stalins support for restoration of pre Munich borders was good for Czechoslovakia (it also avoided almost all damage). UK and US were not so generous in the matters of Sudetenland question and there could have been real plebiscites to decide who would get it (and it wouldnt be ČSR).
Beneš was a coward and pre war was a man, who proudly boasted his hatred of the minority populations of Czechoslovakia. First chance he got, he both rid of Czechoslovakia’s remaining minorities and gladly handed his people to the communists come the February 1948 coup, then died three months later like the coward he was.
There is also weird thing about him being hell bent on forcefully resettling hungarian minority in czechoslovakia which was stopped by communists, ordinary people who didn't do anything wrong except for being born in this heavily mixed region that didn't comform to national borders. And exiling czech germans also shows how much hopes for peaceful coexistence they had, people say never meet your hero personally.
And what was he supposed to do when all allies showed middle finger and let us alone? He is often judged, but we admit that he had only bad options to choose from.
CS Communists in 1946 elections had basically social-democratic program. They explicitly stated that things like colectivisation of agriculture is out of question and what is in the Soviet union is just a 'soviet model' of socialism, nothing more. They were not exactly honest in their official election program
Great video! Thanks for covering Czechoslovakian history👍🇨🇿🇸🇰But please put the names into czech google translator and listen to how they are supposed to be pronounced, your horrendous pronunciation ruins the experience. Thanks 🙏
Well, if this was the third republic, when and what happened to the second? I am guessing that one declared in 1918 was the first. Did the second one also have a short life? Looks like material for another episode.
Apparently the Second Czechoslovak Republic was formed after Germany took the Sudetenland as a result of the Munich Agreement, but before they invaded fully and created the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the client state in Slovakia. It lasted only 169 days, so definitely a candidate for another episode.
6:26 the social democratic ministers did in fact resigned too, that meant that more than half of the ministers had resigned and Beneš should have called for a new election, however by appointing Gottwald with forming a new government, he went against the institution. Beneš practically gave communists more power but considering his age and health, his actions are understandable. I believe that Beneš shouldnt have ran for a president after ww2 because he wasnt capable of withstanding the communist preassure.
@@typiclyjohny5114 Czechoslovak-Soviet Treaty on Friendship and mutual support. Treaty signed by Czechoslovak govt in exile and the Soviet government in Nov 1943 during president Benes's visit to Moscow
3:50. Interesting to note that Gottwald took his mother's name and stayed with it even in the most anti-German times imaginable. Benes also had German family members however he hated the Germans and was quoted that when he returned to Prague, he wanted to see "a German boy hanging from every lamp post". Someone who was there told me that actually took place. At least on the main route of his return, there was a German boy on every lamp post. Some were apparently quit young and my acquaintance said that it was hard to believe that everyone of the boys were guilty of war crimes. That is why I am not too sorry for Benes' sad end. I have more sympathy with Masaryk, both Senior and Junior, as far a being statesmen of a more fairer character. I do not know if Masaryk Junior was in full agreement with the Benes decrees which are apparently still on the books.
1) Dear, about 15-20% Czechs have german surnames(as ethnic identification could change over the generations, but surnames stay- 'germans' starting to identify as Czechs after one or two generations in majority-czech area and vice versa 'czechs' turning German - see many Czech surnames among Sudeten Germans). Having a 'german' surname is not even noted here and these surnames were never considered 'foreign'. So even for Gottwald, even shortly after WW2, this would not raise any comments really. 2) Regarding whether Masaryk junior was in agreement with 'Benes decrees'- yes he was.- he was diplomatically negotiating support of the Allies for this 'solution' as the Minister of foreign affairs of govt-in-exile since 1942. 3)Btw, 'Benes decrees' are in some comments sort of misunderstood as personal acts of president Benes or something he personally issues and created. In fact 'Benes decrees' (or more precisely 'Decrees of the President of the Republic') was simply a legal term for any legislation or decision of the Czechoslovak government in the situation when the parliament could not convene(due to occupation)- so all legislation and decision by the government between 1939 to September 1945 was called 'Decrees of president'(and there were HUNDREDS of these 'Benes decrees', just one or two deal with expulsion of the Germans). .... Personalisation of 'decrees of president' to Benes is incorrect and grossly oversimplified understanding.
@@letecmig Thanks for your comments. Possibly you are a student of Czech history and know much more than I do. However was not Gottwald's mother an ethnic German? Also the fact that today so many Czech citizens have German-sounding family names and as you suggest, that is not much of an indication of any attachment to German language and culture not proof that the Benes decrees or in your parlance decrees of the president, actually worked? I mean in that sense that anyone who wished to remain German was exiled or murdered and anyone else who just wanted to pretend to have some sort of German ancestry had to assimilate and quickly become a Czech? If you are a student of Czech history, would you be able to comment on the quote about a "German boy hanging from every lamp post". Was Benes really so sadistic?
In my opinion, whoever stated that he was German in the 1930 census was considered German by the Czechoslovak government, even if he was a Jew who had returned from the Nazi extermination camps. Considered German.
@@stephanottawa7890 1)re Gottwald's mother, Stefan got it wrong. Gottwald's mother gave birth as single mother, hence logically her took her name. I just taken a look at whether she was German on Czech sites- her ethnicity is not mentioned anywhere - so she could be German, but equally she could have been one of those 15-20% Czechs with German surnames. 2) Regarding question how they identified 'who was German' (to be expelled). The criteria was simple: those who took citizenship of the German Reich between 1938-1945 were classified as 'German'. And as they automatically lost their citizenship of Czechoslovakia(which did not allowed dual citizenship), these citizens of Germany were expelled. So if you were Czech with German name, there of course were no 'tests of identity' or something like that- the 'test' was having citizenship of the Reich
@@moshezimmerman3124 no, if you took Citizenship of the German Reich between 1938-1945, you were classed “German’ (even those ethnic Czech who did)- but for ethnic Czechs for example from areas called “Sudetenland” they could apply for restoring the cirizenship if they proved the Reich citezenship was “forced on them due to circumstances”, quite vague. criteria for ethnic Czech to de-germanize himself. on the other hand, ethnic Germans were allowed exceptions only if they had proof of being “actively antifascist”)
Learn more about Czech history [PLAYLIST]:
th-cam.com/play/PL_bcNuRxKtpGIlCaXTQ6lBIXt5QL9a5aE.html&si=6oeDzpyEZplSQjAZ
👍☑
ps what role played Moscow empire in this commie coup `?
Beste Stefan, wat gaaf dat je dit stukje geschiedenis aandacht geeft wat tot een gitzwarte periode daarna van mijn tweede thuis heeft ingeluid. Mijn eerste 20 jaren ben ik opgegroeid met 1 been in Nederland en het andere been in Praag en heb de grote contrasten van dichtbij meegemaakt. Ik was student toen de fluwelen revolutie uitbrak, een emotionele periode die aan deze ellende van 41 jaar een einde maakte. Keep up the good work!
Dank voor je bericht. Bijzonder dat je het van dichtbij hebt mogen meemaken!
All those who fought in the Czech legion during WW1 would be rolling in their graves when they found out their homeland became a communist state after ww2
They woud be rolling from couple of diferent thing that hapaned and they was, then only 1948.
Hmmmm, for example WW2 general Svoboda, leader of Czechoslovak army in the USSR during the WW2: He was officer of the Czech Legion fighting bolsheviks 1918-1920!
Svoboda did not have issue with fighting alongside soviets against Nazis.... and he became member of the communist party after the WW2, and later became the president of communist Czechoslovakia.
Or General Klapalek who led Czechoslovak troops in North African campaign in 1940-1942 (Syria, Tobruk...) and was in 1944 transferred to Soviet Union and led one of the brigades of Czecholsovak army in the USSR.... he was also ex-officer of Czech legion who fought against bolsheviks. He also jopined the communist party after WW2 and supported the comunist coup in 1948.
Some crazy real life stories out there:):):) ..... you can not underestimate psychological impact of Munich agreement on Czech society as a whole including ex-Legionnaires. Many of them were ready to forget past and buy into soviet propaganda when they were on the same side against Nazis.....
@@letecmigbut there were also those ex legionaries who supported Nazis in WW2. For example Emanuel Moravec.
@@guntherneuwirth349 of course, there were handful of that kind as well. As I wrote, the Munich and collapse of 'everything we believed in' with Munich 1938 (alliance with western democracies, believe in strength of democracy etc) had profound impact on worldview of many.
In that sense, Moravec vs Svoboda/Klapalek were not that different in principle.
@@letecmig but still, Klapálek was later imprisoned by communists.
Always interesting Stefan. Cheers from Tennessee
👍👍👍
Vind je videos geweldig maar bij alle "op locatie" videos krijg ik altijd belastingvoordeel op mijn vakantie vibes... Top video non the less! Dodenmars van Brno, vergeten etnische zuivering.
Very interesting! I knew nothing about this. Thanks for the lesson Stefan 👍
Greets from Grun' 🇳🇱, TW.
👍👍👍
I appreciate this interesting, short-lived state content.
😎
Part of the reason why the Communist Party was so popular in Czechia was because of the ,,western betrayal" and the Munich conference, also called ,,Munich diktat" or ,,about us without us/o nas bez nas", which bred anti-western sentiment.
Thanks for sharing.
@@HistoryHustle That's not all. Only 6 political parties of the so-called National Front (2 Slovak and 4 Czech) were allowed. One of the most popular pre-war parties, the Agrarians, was banned. Defacto, only left and centre parties were allowed. Not only Munich but also the liberation of the country by the mostly red army increased the popularity of the communists. Furthermore, after the liberation, NKVD agents were already strongly active on our territory. After the 1946 elections, the Communists occupied the Ministry of the Interior. They systematically occupied key positions already in this period and got rid of their opponents in various ways. The Soviets had our territory in their zone of influence and were not about to let us go. There were 2 variants of taking power by force with their help or through the results of elections. Gottwald is said to have persuaded Stalin to go with the second option. There was to be another election in 1948 and pre-election polls showed the declining popularity of the Communist Party. They had to negotiate, so February 1948 occurred.
@Tovalokodonc So that means the Czechs have no right to cry about Munich agreement? I know that Czechoslovakia didnt do right things even after WW2 towards Germans and Hungarians too. I get it. But youre complaining about Czechoslovaks crying about their historical injustice and at the same time youre the one whos crying about historical injustice of Hungarians. So whats the point of it? :D
@Tovalokodonc Jebat maďarský kolaboranty a jejich imperiální choutky.
@Tovalokodonc The only thing not quite adding up is, Czechoslovakia did not lose any wars prior to the Munich diktat, whereas Hungary as a perpetrator of the WW1 lost quite badly, then lost against the romanians once more, not to talk about the communist coup that totally hindered all of Hungary´s chances on getting off better than it actually did.....So yes, "they (we)" cry, because it was in fact a betrayal :)
Very interesting video,never knew this existed. My father served in the German Wehrmacht during war. He spent two years as a POW in an American prison camp,station outside of Naples, Italy.He was released in 1947. So now I know why he couldn't go back home to Teplice,( in the Sudetenland). Thanks for sharing this interesting topic. Take care!
My Grandfather finished the war in Pilzen, he was a truck driver for 3rd US Army. I spent around 15 years in Germany as US Soldier, some of the best times I ever had 🇩🇪
@@Jimmy-wl2iw That's awesome. I was stationed in Bambrg,W.Germany with the US Army for 2 1/2 years,(78 to81) had a wonderful experience! Take care.
It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage episode about 3rd Czechoslovaka republic from 1945 to 1948...this information rarely known...with such details. Thank you an excellent ( History Hustle) channel for sharing this magnificent episode, introduced by Sir Stefan 🙏.
Thanks for watching.
It is very sad regarding what happened to Czechoslovakia both pre , during and post World War Two .
Agree.
Previously, I had an outline understanding of this period in the history of Czechoslovakia, but this is the first TH-cam video I have encountered that gives an in-the-round picture of the events of the time in a nice, neat, concise manner. As time has gone by I have become increasingly aware that the time of Edvard Beneš should not in any way be whitewashed, despite the horror of what was to follow. You made a passing mention of the fate of the ethnic Germans under Beneš, but there were atrocities of a similar scale that affected the ethnic Hungarians, that should not be forgotten.
My roommate was born in Czechoslovakia in 1948. She escaped to Prague in the 60s, and had to wait there for two years before she was allowed to emigrate to the US. She still owns a farm there and goes back twice a year for a month each time, but considers herself a proud American.
How did she "escape from Czechoslovakia" by going to the capital of Czechoslovakia?
Didn't you ever wonder about that?
@@frenzalrhomb6919 Apparently the Iron Curtain was quite weak in Czechia, an old German teacher of mine that came from former East Berlin talked about one or multiple classmates going missing and escaping to the West through Austria during a school trip to Prague.
@@frenzalrhomb6919 I meant Vienna, my bad.
@@TehNSF Yea, I meant she escaped to Vienna.
Through Prague.
Short lived states, always fascinating. Thanks BZ
😎
Also to note that the biggest opposition to communists were Slovaks who were mostly voting for the Slovak democratic party while Czechs were mostly supporting communists, the Prague coup was initialy planned for 1946 but the SD halted it, the communists needed liquidate the democratic party so they could finally take power in 1948
Well, the communists got 30.5% in Slovakia, and 40% of the vote in Czech part of the country. So while in Slovakia % was less, but not fundamentally less as you seem to claim.
In neither part of the country communist got the majority.
There is an even shorter lived state to cover in Prague. The CSFR (The Czechoslovak Federal Republic) or the Fifth Czechoslovak Republic 1990 - 1992
Yes, wanted to cover that when I was in Prague but I ran out of time.
@@HistoryHustle Well you should also take the time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the good food..
A valuable lesson from which much can be learned.
👍
Thank you! Very informative video! I had not idea how the Czechoslovakia became communist.
Thanks for watching.
Great video and great explanation. Thanks!
You're welcome 👍
The Czech Republic and East Germany were the only countries that had preexisting communist parties and infrastructure, and some level of support.
Yugoslavia had one too, albeit officially banned several years before WWII.
Hungary produced both an albeit short-lived communist regime ( under the auspices of Bela Kun, infamously in touch with Lenin via radio throughout his reign ) & a slew of highly influential party activists such as Erno Gero, Georgy Lukacs, Matyas Rakosi, Imre Nagy, & others.
Actually, many West European countries had pre-existing communist parties, infrastructure and support. The communists were very strong in Germany, France, Italy, Greece etc. and in the above mentioned states they almost took power. In this regard (but also many other regards), Czechoslovakia (mostly the Czech part) and East Germany were like West Europe.
However, Hungary also had a pre-existing communist history - in 1919 they briefly created the Hungarian Soviet Republic. So it’s not so clear cut as you make it sound.
Interesting to note that after the 1948 coup d’état in Czechoslovakia, the West started taking the communists seriously and prevented similar takeovers in Italy, France and Greece. Otherwise, these countries could have become communist as well. We tend to see history teleologically but in the late 40s, it really wasn’t given that the Iron Curtain would separate Europe along the line it did. There were other possibilities.
Yugoslavia +DDR+Baltic States !
Always had an obsession with CZ. In the early 1990s I was a Soldier in the US Army stationed in Germany and would often travel there. Found out recently through my great grandmother was from Bohemia. Want to visit again soon. Thanks for another fine documentary 😊
was she German or Czech?
@@typiclyjohny5114 Assuming she was German, her maiden is Grimm 🇩🇪
Very interesting 👌
@@rjames3981 👍
Your videos are really interesting . I enjoy them very much . Keep up the good work 👍😊.
@@StephenDeakin-to7ei great to read. Many thanks!
Yes! Short live states series is back
Yes, will never be gone :D
Goede video Stefan! 👍
Dank!
I never quite understand how Poland and Czechoslovakia fell under the Soviets, despite being in the Allied side. This video was really informative
Thanks!
It's even more simple, western and soviet generals made a line on map and it was done, we just ended in soviet occupation zone and americans were banned from going more east even when they were able to help several days before soviets arrived.
NEVER KNEW this existed…
Much better known and better mapped than, say, Carpathian Ukraine ten years before.
In November 1992, the federal legislature voted to divide Czechoslovakia. Having drafted separate constitutions, the two new countries, Slovakia and the Czech Republic (later Czechia), formally came into being on January 1, 1993.
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Benes failed Czechoslovakia. He failed to stand up to Hitler and lost his country, then he did the same thing again after World War II with Stalin. A man without backbone.
nah I would recomend you watch tv series České století or read about the events. With up to 3 mills. of sudeten germans defending borders alone without french and UK while also threatened from south (annexed austria where fortifications were weak and also from possibly from hungary) and from Poles (because Těšínsko) would have been pointless.
Beneš decision to resign and then make the protektorate seem illegitimate while also securing Stalins support for restoration of pre Munich borders was good for Czechoslovakia (it also avoided almost all damage).
UK and US were not so generous in the matters of Sudetenland question and there could have been real plebiscites to decide who would get it (and it wouldnt be ČSR).
@@youngyoughurt Agree, he's seen actually pretty well in czechia. The ones ho failed us were our allies.
Beneš was a coward and pre war was a man, who proudly boasted his hatred of the minority populations of Czechoslovakia. First chance he got, he both rid of Czechoslovakia’s remaining minorities and gladly handed his people to the communists come the February 1948 coup, then died three months later like the coward he was.
There is also weird thing about him being hell bent on forcefully resettling hungarian minority in czechoslovakia which was stopped by communists, ordinary people who didn't do anything wrong except for being born in this heavily mixed region that didn't comform to national borders.
And exiling czech germans also shows how much hopes for peaceful coexistence they had, people say never meet your hero personally.
And what was he supposed to do when all allies showed middle finger and let us alone? He is often judged, but we admit that he had only bad options to choose from.
Thank you so much for this videos. It always makes me so mad how people trusted communists. Those bloody rats with no shame.
Thanks for watching.
Amazing that they got the biggest ever popular vote of any Czechoslovakia party ever (nearly 40 per cent) in the 1946 election.
@@rjames3981 more like insane. I believe that it sparked the election trend here which we call "the lesser evil".
I have been to the transdanubian triangle 🔺️ at Bratislava. Tramway from the railway station. Quite pleasant.
i never knew how did they become from a republic to a communist state thanks bro
The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for because you are not going to like it later
"As Always" .."Instructor"...."thanks for these "declassified"briefings 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for your reply.
The last train home is about the Czech legion in Russia making their way home to their independence state how you do a episode about them
Czechoslovak *
Do a video on the " communist " Kingdom of Romania 1944-1947!
Perhaps one day.
This coup of Czechoslovakia was one of the main reasons for formation for nato.
Believe so too.
If you're ever in Morocco I'd love to see a video about the short lived Rif Republic of the 1920s
Perhaps one day 👍
Well researched Stef. Interesting that the people voted for the Communists
CS Communists in 1946 elections had basically social-democratic program. They explicitly stated that things like colectivisation of agriculture is out of question and what is in the Soviet union is just a 'soviet model' of socialism, nothing more. They were not exactly honest in their official election program
Thanks for your reply.
The saddest event in the modern history of the Czech Republic and Slovakia :[ before czechoslovakia but u know.
I understand.
If only the Americans hadn't completely withdrawn
If only...
While Western Allied betrayal of Poland was clear, this was less clear in CZ; but the end result was the same unfortunately. 😢
Sadly so. Although Poland suffered more death and Destruction during WW2.
We call it betrayal now, but to their defense, they probably really believed that they did right thing, let's not repeat the same mistakes.
Great video! Thanks for covering Czechoslovakian history👍🇨🇿🇸🇰But please put the names into czech google translator and listen to how they are supposed to be pronounced, your horrendous pronunciation ruins the experience. Thanks 🙏
Thanks for watching.
Well, if this was the third republic, when and what happened to the second? I am guessing that one declared in 1918 was the first. Did the second one also have a short life? Looks like material for another episode.
Apparently the Second Czechoslovak Republic was formed after Germany took the Sudetenland as a result of the Munich Agreement, but before they invaded fully and created the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the client state in Slovakia. It lasted only 169 days, so definitely a candidate for another episode.
I covered 2nd here
th-cam.com/video/55voqlD2-hU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=526t3E_RwCeG6Toc
@@HistoryHustle Thanks, Stefan....You seem to cover everything. Where do you find the time to do so much?
6:26 the social democratic ministers did in fact resigned too, that meant that more than half of the ministers had resigned and Beneš should have called for a new election, however by appointing Gottwald with forming a new government, he went against the institution. Beneš practically gave communists more power but considering his age and health, his actions are understandable. I believe that Beneš shouldnt have ran for a president after ww2 because he wasnt capable of withstanding the communist preassure.
Thanks for sharing.
Stupid Beneš completely f..ked it up in 1938, in 1943, and also between 1945 - 1948.
What should he have done you think?
Wait, what happend in 1943?
@@typiclyjohny5114 Fell in love with Moscow.
@@typiclyjohny5114 Czechoslovak-Soviet Treaty on Friendship and mutual support. Treaty signed by Czechoslovak govt in exile and the Soviet government in Nov 1943 during president Benes's visit to Moscow
@HistoryHustle idk, anything other than this ?
Oh the czechs and their windows..
There exists a word for that: defenestration.
this territory is one huge tragedy
Sounds dramatic.
Especially in 1968.
Hmmm, I did not know that standing close to open windows eas so dangerous even back then...
Dangerous times...
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Pretty unrelated, but I wonder if Elaine Benes from "Seinfeld" was named after Edvard Benes 😅
Haha, anyone?
It's Košice not kosiče
I see.
BECAME a COMMIE or was occupied by Moscow commie empire ?
+1
First and somewhat the second.
Košice is pronounced [Koh-shi-tze]
I see.
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Not /Kosiche/, but /Koshitse/
Ok.
3:50. Interesting to note that Gottwald took his mother's name and stayed with it even in the most anti-German times imaginable. Benes also had German family members however he hated the Germans and was quoted that when he returned to Prague, he wanted to see "a German boy hanging from every lamp post". Someone who was there told me that actually took place. At least on the main route of his return, there was a German boy on every lamp post. Some were apparently quit young and my acquaintance said that it was hard to believe that everyone of the boys were guilty of war crimes. That is why I am not too sorry for Benes' sad end. I have more sympathy with Masaryk, both Senior and Junior, as far a being statesmen of a more fairer character. I do not know if Masaryk Junior was in full agreement with the Benes decrees which are apparently still on the books.
1) Dear, about 15-20% Czechs have german surnames(as ethnic identification could change over the generations, but surnames stay- 'germans' starting to identify as Czechs after one or two generations in majority-czech area and vice versa 'czechs' turning German - see many Czech surnames among Sudeten Germans).
Having a 'german' surname is not even noted here and these surnames were never considered 'foreign'.
So even for Gottwald, even shortly after WW2, this would not raise any comments really.
2) Regarding whether Masaryk junior was in agreement with 'Benes decrees'- yes he was.- he was diplomatically negotiating support of the Allies for this 'solution' as the Minister of foreign affairs of govt-in-exile since 1942.
3)Btw, 'Benes decrees' are in some comments sort of misunderstood as personal acts of president Benes or something he personally issues and created.
In fact 'Benes decrees' (or more precisely 'Decrees of the President of the Republic') was simply a legal term for any legislation or decision of the Czechoslovak government in the situation when the parliament could not convene(due to occupation)- so all legislation and decision by the government between 1939 to September 1945 was called 'Decrees of president'(and there were HUNDREDS of these 'Benes decrees', just one or two deal with expulsion of the Germans). .... Personalisation of 'decrees of president' to Benes is incorrect and grossly oversimplified understanding.
@@letecmig Thanks for your comments. Possibly you are a student of Czech history and know much more than I do. However was not Gottwald's mother an ethnic German? Also the fact that today so many Czech citizens have German-sounding family names and as you suggest, that is not much of an indication of any attachment to German language and culture not proof that the Benes decrees or in your parlance decrees of the president, actually worked? I mean in that sense that anyone who wished to remain German was exiled or murdered and anyone else who just wanted to pretend to have some sort of German ancestry had to assimilate and quickly become a Czech? If you are a student of Czech history, would you be able to comment on the quote about a "German boy hanging from every lamp post". Was Benes really so sadistic?
In my opinion, whoever stated that he was German in the 1930 census was considered German by the Czechoslovak government, even if he was a Jew who had returned from the Nazi extermination camps. Considered German.
@@stephanottawa7890 1)re Gottwald's mother, Stefan got it wrong.
Gottwald's mother gave birth as single mother, hence logically her took her name.
I just taken a look at whether she was German on Czech sites- her ethnicity is not mentioned anywhere - so she could be German, but equally she could have been one of those 15-20% Czechs with German surnames.
2) Regarding question how they identified 'who was German' (to be expelled). The criteria was simple: those who took citizenship of the German Reich between 1938-1945 were classified as 'German'.
And as they automatically lost their citizenship of Czechoslovakia(which did not allowed dual citizenship), these citizens of Germany were expelled.
So if you were Czech with German name, there of course were no 'tests of identity' or something like that- the 'test' was having citizenship of the Reich
@@moshezimmerman3124 no, if you took Citizenship of the German Reich between 1938-1945, you were classed “German’ (even those ethnic Czech who did)- but for ethnic Czechs for example from areas called “Sudetenland” they could apply for restoring the cirizenship if they proved the Reich citezenship was “forced on them due to circumstances”, quite vague. criteria for ethnic Czech to de-germanize himself. on the other hand, ethnic Germans were allowed exceptions only if they had proof of being “actively antifascist”)