Independent Bohemia

Independent Bohemia (An
Account of the Czecho-Slovak
Struggle for Liberty) [with
accents]

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Title: Independent Bohemia
Author: Vladimir Nosek
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[Illustration: Professor Thomas G. Masaryk]

INDEPENDENT BOHEMIA
AN ACCOUNT OF THE CZECHO-SLOVAK STRUGGLE FOR
LIBERTY
By VLADIMIR NOSEK
Secretary to the Czecho-Slovak Legation in LONDON
1918

PREFACE
In the following pages I have attempted to outline the story of our
movement for independence. The manuscript of this book was
completed over four months ago. Since then many important changes
have occurred in the international situation. Chapters in which we dealt
with the then still existing Dual Monarchy must of course be read in the
past tense, since Austria exists no more. And again, many things which
we anticipated and hoped for in the future have already become
accomplished facts. However, I trust that the story itself has not only
lost none of its value thereby, but has acquired an additional interest
from a historical point of view. Our aim of national independence, only
quite recently declared by our adversaries to be "an empty dream of

moonstruck idealists," has become to-day not only a practical
proposition, but an accomplished fact. We have our own army, which is
by no means the smallest Allied army, and we also have our own
Provisional Government in Paris, recognised not only by the Allies and
by all Czecho-Slovaks abroad, but even by Czech leaders in Bohemia,
with whom we have since the beginning of the war worked in complete
harmony and understanding. The organisation of our independent State
is rapidly proceeding. Austria-Hungary, exhausted economically and
bankrupt politically, has fallen to pieces by the free-will of her own
subject peoples, who, in anticipation of their early victory, broke their
fetters and openly renounced their allegiance to the hated Habsburg and
Hohenzollern rule, even before Austria had actually surrendered to the
Allies.
Events have moved rapidly in Austria, especially since the momentous
British declaration of August 9, 1918, recognising the
Czecho-Slovaks--those resident in the Allied countries as much as
those in Bohemia--as an Allied nation, and the Czecho-Slovak National
Council--in Paris as well as in Prague--as the Provisional Government
of Bohemia. British statesmen already then foresaw the coming
collapse of Austria and acted accordingly. It is also no more a secret
to-day that because of the promulgation of the British and United States
declarations our Council was able to conclude special conventions with
all the Allied Governments during September last, whereby all the
powers exercised by a real government have been granted to it.
In the meantime Germany had been losing more and more control over
her allies, being herself hard pressed on the Western front, and the
consequence of this was a growing boldness on the part of the Austrian
Slavs. On October 2 deputy Stanek declared in the name of the whole
Czech deputation that the National Council in Paris were their true
spokesmen and representatives with whom Austria would have to
negotiate. Soon afterwards the Austrian Poles went to Warsaw, where
they formed a new all-Polish Government, and the Southern Slavs
entrusted the government of their territories to their National Council in
Zagreb. Similar councils were formed also by the Ruthenes and
Rumanians. On October 14 the Czecho-Slovak National Council in
Paris constituted itself as a Government of which the Council in Prague
acts as an integral part. The latter took over the reins of government in

Bohemia a fortnight later. On October 19 the Czecho-Slovak Council
issued a Declaration of Independence which we publish in the
Appendix, and from which it will be seen that Bohemia will