Results by title

2 books match the query 'Smetana, Vít'

cover of Exile in London: The Experience of Czechoslovakia and the Other Occupied Nations, 1939–1945

Exile in London

The Experience of Czechoslovakia and the Other Occupied Nations, 1939–1945

Edited by Vít Smetana and Kathleen Brenda Geaney

Karolinum Press, 2018

During World War II, London experienced not just the Blitz and the arrival of continental refugees, but also an influx of displaced foreign governments. Drawing together renowned historians from nine countries—the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, the former Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia—this book explores life in exile as experienced by the governments of Czechoslovakia and other occupied nations who found refuge in the British capital. Through new archival research and fresh historical interpretations, chapters delve into common characteristics and differences in the origin and structure of the individual governments-in-exile in an attempt to explain how they dealt with pressing social and economic problems at home while abroad; how they were able to influence crucial Allied diplomatic negotiations; the relative importance of armies, strategic commodities, and equipment that particular governments-in-exile were able to offer to the allied war effort; important wartime propaganda; and early preparations for addressing postwar minority issues.
[more]
cover of In the Shadow of Munich: British Policy towards Czechoslovakia from the Endorsement to the Renunciation of the Munich Agreement (1938-1942)

In the Shadow of Munich

British Policy towards Czechoslovakia from the Endorsement to the Renunciation of the Munich Agreement (1938-1942)

Vít Smetana

Karolinum Press, 2008

In September 1938, the major powers of Europe convened in Munich to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia in light of territorial demands made by Adolf Hitler. The ensuing agreement signed by Germany, France, Great Britain, and Italy authorized the German takeover of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. Just four years later, however, the British government declared the Munich Agreement void and thus having no influence whatsoever on the future settlements of this region.
With In the Shadow of Munich, Smetana brings a fresh perspective to an often misunderstood epoch of European history. Drawing on his extensive research in British and Czech government archives, as well as numerous diaries and memoirs from the period, Smetana aims to dispel frequent myths and stereotypes that have long influenced interpretations of British and Czech relations immediately before and during World War II. A unique and provocative work, In the Shadow of Munich is essential for scholars of Slavic, Central, and East European studies.
 
[more]