1941: Czechoslovakia

During 1941 the Czech people continued to resent violently the German occupation of their lands and their ruthless deprivation of all liberties and law. In the so-called 'protectorate' the Czech puppet government lost the last vestiges of autonomy, the whole administration of the country being directed by the Germans. Czech resentment showed itself in a tenacious underground struggle and in acts of sabotage, especially after the Germans had dissolved all important Czech organizations, like the famous gymnastic Sokol confederation. The situation in Czechoslovakia came to a head at the end of September when the Germans suddenly recalled the Reichsprotector Constantin von Neurath and replaced him by Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most feared heads of the German secret police. Under his leadership a ruthless policy of stamping out all Czech resistance was begun. The prime minister of the autonomous Czech government in the protectorate, General Elias, was arrested and condemned to death for alleged treason. Hundreds of Czechs in all walks of life, generals, university professors, officials, merchants, peasants were executed. But this terror was unable to break the spirit of Czech resistance, and all their hopes were centered upon the Czechoslovak government which had been constituted in London under the leadership of Dr. Beneš.

This government was officially recognized by Great Britain and later by the Soviet Union. It represented all Czech and Slovak parties, from the Catholic Clerical Party to the Social Democrats. It acted in cooperation with Great Britain in building up a Czechoslovak army to take full part on the side of the Allies in the war of liberation and democracy. It also laid the foundations for the reconstruction of an independent Czechoslovakia after the victory. In that respect its negotiations with the Polish government for future collaboration between the two peoples were of greatest importance. The Czechoslovak-Polish agreement became the nucleus of a wide federation which was to embrace the Czechoslovaks, the Poles, the Yugoslavs and the Greeks, and thus establish a strong bloc of 100,000,000 people in the heart of Central Europe, pledged to mutual cooperation in all political, economic and cultural fields, and to the common defense of their security and their democratic liberties.

Slovakia.

Slovakia meanwhile continued her existence as an 'independent' state. She had officially joined the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo alliance in November 1940, and as a result, at the end of June 1941 sided with Germany in the war against the Soviet Union. Although Slovak divisions fought against the Soviet armies, not very much was heard of them, and most of them seem to have been withdrawn in view of their opposition to a struggle against their Slav brethren, the Russians. After Germany declared war on the United States in December 1941, Slovakia did likewise. Internally, Slovakia followed the Nazi policy entirely. The Slovak army under the command of the minister of defense, General Catlos, was completely adjusted to the German model, and Slovak economic life completely integrated into that of Germany. Jews lost all property rights, and were not only dislodged from all economic positions, but also ordered to leave the cities and to settle in a limited number of small villages. See also GREECE; HUNGARY; POLAND; YUGOSLAVIA.