The Czecho-Slovak Struggle for Independence, 1914–1920

The calamity of World War I spawned dozens of liberation movements among ethnic and religious groups throughout the world. None was more successful in realizing the goal of self-determination than the Czechs and Slovaks.
From its humble beginning the Czecho-Slovak liberation movement grew into an impressive struggle that was waged from the capitals of Western Europe to the frozen steppes of Siberia. Its ranks included exiled propagandists, war prisoners-turned-legionaries and conspirators inside Austria-Hungary. This book shows how these groups overcame their estrangements and coordinated their efforts to win independence for their homeland. It also examines the consequences of the Czecho-Slovaks’ achievements, including their entanglement in the Russian Civil War and their impact on the postwar settlements that redrew the political boundaries of Central Europe.

Brent Mueggenberg is a purchasing manager and lives in Lake View, Iowa.

Brent Mueggenberg
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 332
Bibliographic Info: 32 photos, 9 maps, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9625-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1762-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments v
Preface 1
Terms, Abbreviations and Acronyms 5
Introduction: A Brawl at Chelyabinsk 9
1. In the Shadow of White Mountain 17
2. On the Eve of the Storm 32
3. Contriving for a New Europe 45
4. The Slavophile Challenge 63
5. Deliverance at Zborov 82
6. Prague on the Brink 96
7. The Rise of the ­Czecho-Slovak Legions in the West 109
8. Between Cossacks and Commissars 120
9. The Russian Muddle 134
10. War Across an Iron Ribbon 154
11. A New Eastern Front 179
12. The Men of October 28 199
13. The Siberian Vendée 215
14. White Mountain Redressed 230
15. Exodus from a White Hell 246
16. The Legacy of Independence 268
Chapter Notes 279
Bibliography 313
Index 317

• “Mueggenberg is a fine writer and researcher and his fluid writing style makes what could be quite complicated in the hands of a lesser writer, easy to understand. The selection of photographs illustrating the book is superb too. Highly recommended”—Destructive Music.