M asaryk, T omáš (1850–1937)

Abstract

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937) was a Czechoslovak author and politician who became the primary founder and first president of Czechoslovakia, a country that existed from 1918 to 1939 and from 1945 to 1993. Leaving Austria‐Hungary for exile after the outbreak of the First World War (1914–18), he and his Czecho‐Slovak National Council became the chief advocates for Czechoslovak independence, establishing political contacts and lobbying effectively for Czechoslovak statehood. Instrumental in the creation of the Czecho‐Slovak Legion in Russia beginning in 1917, he negotiated the terms for the creation of independent Czechoslovakia with the American government and Slovak leaders in 1918. Sworn in as president of Czechoslovakia on December 21, 1918, he was reelected three times before resigning in 1935. He authored several books and numerous articles and became widely known as the “president liberator” of Czechoslovakia and as a strong defender of democracy.