Šlechta bez monarchie
Staré elity posthabsburské střední Evropy 1918-1938
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The book deals with the role of the nobility in the public life of the Czechoslovak and Austrian Republics in the period between the world wars. It focuses primarily on its activities in both armies, diplomacy and politics of these states. The authors answer the question of to what extent the nobility was willing to engage publicly after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the establishment of republican regimes. They identify similarities but also differences in the approach of the nobles in Czechoslovakia and Austria. They state that in both cases the nobility and especially its most elite part, the aristocracy, perceived the new conditions with considerable distrust. Using examples of specific noblemen and noblewomen, the book also demonstrates that, especially in Austria, the aristocracy adapted to the situation relatively quickly and became an ally of conservative political forces concentrated in both the Christian Social Party and the paramilitary militia called Heimwehr. At the same time, it documents a similar, albeit less noticeable, shift in the perception of Czechoslovak reality by the nobility in the 1930s. The authors see the reasons, among other things, in the Nazi threat, which led the aristocracy in Czechoslovakia and Austria to patriotic attitudes and thus a higher level of involvement.
