Jiřina Šiklová was a Czech leader in the communist Party of Czechoslovakia. She is known for her bold opinions on politics and humanism, and co-founded the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University.
Tomáš Masaryk and the United States
Tomáš Masaryk, first president of Czechoslovakia, was inspired by the freedom and democracy of the United States. While negotiating for Czechoslovakia’s independence, Masaryk developed not only political relationships, but also personal and intellectual ones with the United States. During the First World War, he was exiled after siding with the Allied Powers, but did not give up on garnering support from his fellow Czechoslovakians. The Lansing Declaration of May 1918 was one of many important moments in the future creation of the Czechoslovak Republic, which eventually came to pass, all before he died in 1937.
A History of Czech Feminism
The once egalitarian, agrarian society of Bohemia became ruled by the Hapsburg Dynasty, causing a regression in women’s rights until Christianity helped improve their lives. The National Revival brought the creation of Czechoslovakia and greater rights for women. When communism came, rights improved in some ways and did not in others. The change to a capitalistic democracy brought further changes.
Mother's Day in Czechia: Charlotte Masaryk
Through history, celebrating Mother’s Day in the Czech Republic was more complicated than one could imagine. It begins with the wife of Tomas Masaryk, Charlotte, who fought for women’s rights and taught her daughter, Alice Masarykova, to do the same. After her mother’s death, Alice established Mother’s Day in 1923. The complications of Mother’s Day lasted for a long time, into Czechoslovakia’s Communist occupation.