Remembering Tomas Masaryk
Outside of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, few people have probably heard of Tomas Masaryk but, in those two countries, he is warmly remembered as the founding father of the state of Czechoslovakia which existed from 1918 to 1993. Today is the 70th anniversary of his death and an opportunity for a wider audience to acknowledge his character and achievements.
I am very familiar with the life of Tomas Masaryk because my wife is half-Czech and I have a deep interest in the history of Czechoslovakia. Indeed Tomas Masaryk’s son Jan – who was then the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister in exile – attended the baptism of my wife’s older brother in 1942.
You can read my review of a biography of Tomas and Jan Masaryk here. Also you can read my review of a book of interviews with Tomas Masaryk here.