Abstract
For observers of Czech and Slovak politics between the two world wars, Antonín Švehla (1873–1933) was an enigma. For historians he has retained that distinction. Švehla’s reserved demeanour, his avoidance of the press and his aversion to publicity pushed him into the background, but even a cursory view of modern Czech history reveals the crucial role he played in political life. Švehla led the Czech Agrarian Party in the closing years of the Habsburg monarchy, when it was the strongest Czech party in the Vienna Reichsrat.1 He was one of the ‘men of 28 October’ who engineered the peaceful revolution in Prague in 1918.2 From the birth of the republic until his withdrawal from public life in 1929, Švehla led his party, known as the Republican Party after 1919, in all political coalitions, with the exception of Edvard Beneš’ (1884–1948) government of 1921–22, and served three times as prime minister.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
Karel Čapek, ‘President Masaryk o některých věcech’, Lidové noviny (8 April 1928) pp. 1–2.
Harold D. Lasswell, Psychology and Politics, with an introduction by Fred I. Greenstein (University of Chicago Press, 1977) pp. 192–3.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1992 International Council for Soviet and East European Studies, and John Morison
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Miller, D.E. (1992). Antonín Švehla: Master of Compromise. In: Morison, J. (eds) The Czech and Slovak Experience. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-22241-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-22241-4_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-22243-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-22241-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)