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The Political and Symbolic Importance of the United States in the Creation of Czechoslovakia

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The Political and Symbolic Importance of the United States in the Creation of Czechoslovakia Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2014 Drawing borders: the political and symbolic importance of the United States in the creation of Czechoslovakia Samantha Borgeson West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Borgeson, Samantha, "Drawing borders: the political and symbolic importance of the United States in the creation of Czechoslovakia" (2014). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 342. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/342 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DRAWING BORDERS: THE POLITICAL AND SYMBOLIC IMPORTANCE OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE CREATION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA Samantha Borgeson Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts And Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Robert Blobaum, PhD ., Chair Katherine Aaslestad, PhD . James Siekmeier, PhD . Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2014 Key Words: Czechoslovakia; Czech Immigrants in America; Woodrow Wilson and Czechoslovakia; Tomáš Masaryk; Czech Independence; America and Czechoslovakia; historic right; self-determination; Czech nationalism i Abstract Drawing Borders: The Political and Symbolic Importance of the United States in the Creation of Czechoslovakia by Samantha Borgeson In 2011, a statue of Woodrow Wilson, based on the original erected in 1928, was re-installed at Woodrow Wilson Train Station in the capital of the Czech Republic . The original statue commemorated Wilson's involvement in the creation of interwar Czechoslovakia, and his support for its independence . It also symbolized the democratic ideals which brought the two nations together following the Great War . Woodrow Wilson played a major part in the history and memory of Czechs during their formative years of their state following World War I, a role which has not been forgotten . Today the Wilson statue is the site of ongoing political and national memory construction revealing the multi-layered aspects of Czech national identity and politics . There are three main components to the Czech-American relationship: the importance of the Czech argument of historic right to land, the role of Czech and Slovak immigrant groups in the United States in pressuring the Wilson Administration, and Wilson’s worldview and idea of national self-determination Often interdependent, these three themes help explain the dual founding fathers myth of Czechoslovakia of Wilson and Masaryk, as well as the importance of this relationship in the present . ii DEDICATION For my Grandfather, Dr . Donald Edward Pisar, “Grandaddy” iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I’d like to thank my patient husband Eric McCall for putting up with many long hours spent on this thesis and during my time in the Atlantis program at West Virginia University . I would also like to thank everyone, especially my colleagues, who helped with input or just let me talk my ideas out . You all made this paper possible . I would not have pursued this degree without the unfailing encouragement and support of Professor Dawn Alexander-Payne during my time at Abilene Christian University and particularly after . For her support and assistance I am especially grateful . I would also like to thank Professor Katherine Aaslestad for her invaluable input and comments on this thesis and Professor James Seikemeir for his assistance with the U .S. foreign policy and Woodrow Wilson angle of the thesis . Finally, thank you to my committee chair, Professor Blobaum, for not only giving me a chance to be a part of this amazing program at West Virginia University, but also for all the valuable input and comments on this thesis . Thank you to my parents, Chuck Borgeson and Susan Tuerck, for constantly supporting my decisions even if it takes me far away from them and for their encouragement . I dedicate this work to my grandfather, Dr . Donald Edward Pisar . I realize how fortunate I am to have someone who took the time to share his love of history and heritage with me . Grandaddy is one of those iv descendents of Czech immigrants which my thesis discusses, who held onto his heritage and passed it on to his children and grandchildren . It is his Czech postcards which are in the appendix . Thank you for instilling in me a passion for history and an interest in all things Czech . v Table of Contents ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... II DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. III ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................... IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... VI INTRODUCTION: WILSON’S INFLUENCE AND MEMORY ............................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 LEGITIMIZATION OF HISTORIC RIGHT IN THE CZECH LANDS .................. 13 CHAPTER 2 INFLUENCE OF IMMIGRANT GROUPS AND PERSONAL CONNECTIONS 37 CHAPTER 3 SELF-DETERMINATION: WILSON’S POLICIES TOWARD THE CZECHS DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR I ............................................................................. 50 CHAPTER 4 CASE STUDY: WILSON IN CZECH MEMORY AND MONUMENTAL POLITICS ...................................................................................................................................... 70 CONCLUSION AND CONSEQUENCES FOR TODAY .................................................... 83 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................... 87 WORKS CONSULTED ..................................................................................................... 94 vi Introduction: Wilson’s Influence and Memory In 2011, a statue of Woodrow Wilson, based on the original erected in 1928, was re-installed at Woodrow Wilson Train Station in the capital of the Czech Republic . The original statue commemorated Wilson's involvement in the creation of interwar Czechoslovakia, and his support for its independence . It also symbolized the democratic ideals which brought the two nations together following the Great War . After the Czech state ceased to exist in 1939, the National Socialists occupation government led by Reinhard Heydrich destroyed the statue on December 12 th , 1941 . Revealing the importance of the restoration of Wilson's statue in Prague, a Czech citizen declared, “Bringing President Wilson back to Central Europe is historic, and symbolic . It underscores the ‘rule of law’ and the Western style of democracy that started in 1918 in this part of the world .”1 This sentiment demonstrates that the symbol of Wilson continues to resonate throughout Czech society today . Indeed, throughout the new Czech Republic, there are numerous monuments, streets, train stations, and squares named after the American president . Woodrow Wilson played a major part in the history and memory of Czechs during their formative years of their state 1 Eileen Daday, “Local Czechs Proud of Wilson Statue,” The Daily Herald , October 8, 2011 . 1 following World War I, a role which has not been forgotten . Today the Wilson statue is the site of ongoing political and national memory construction revealing the multi-layered aspects of Czech national identity and politics . An examination of the bond between Wilson and the Czechs reveals not only the deep connection between the former Czechoslovakia, the United States, and its former president to Czech history and identity but how these sites of memory continue to impact Czech foreign relations strategies and the special relationship between the United States and the Czech Republic . At the end of World War I the Habsburg Monarchy, which had ruled various parts of Europe for over 600 years, disintegrated and in the aftermath numerous different ethnic groups struggled to create and maintain successor- states . The champion of one of these states, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk of Czechoslovakia and later its first president, worked tirelessly during World War I to achieve recognition of this new state and support from the Allied powers . The success of his goals for independence and security of specific borders hinged on both President Woodrow Wilson of the United States and fervent support from Czech and Slovak immigrant groups in America . Masaryk’s realization of an independent homeland was contingent on the interlocking doctrines of Wilson’s principles of self-determination and democracy and Masaryk’s argument of historic and ethnic rights for the creation of a Czechoslovak state as well as the influence of immigrant groups in the United States . 2 In the aftermath of the collapse of the
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