Josette Baer retraces the eventful life of Slovak politician Vavro ?robár, the principal figure in the implementation of Czechoslovak democracy in Slovakia. From his student days and fight for Slovak civil rights in Upper Hungary to his active resistance to German fascism, ?robár shaped Czechoslovakia's turbulent history in the first half of the twentieth century. Baer's comprehensive biography makes archived materials available to English-speaking audiences for the first time and offers unique insight into Czechoslovakia's underresearched political history.

Winner of the BASEES George Blazyca Prize In 1945, just six years after coming to power, the Slovak People's Party (SLS) was disbanded as a 'criminal organisation' and its leader - Jozef Tiso - hanged for treason. What made it possible for the SLS, initially founded in 1905 by priests to represent the Catholic Slovak minority residing in the north of the Kingdom of Hungary, to form an openly pro-Nazi government in 1939? And what put Slovakia on the path to a 'fascism' that would see more than 45,000 Jews deported to their deaths in 1942? To answer these questions, Thomas Lorman draws on more than a decade's research in archives across the region in Hungarian, Slovak and Latin, and studies the party's formative years in depth for the first time in English. Lorman examines the various strands which fused to form the party and its popularity, including a complex and nebulous nationalism, Catholicism and a resounding mistrust of liberalism and 'modernity'. The Making of the Slovak People's Party is a vital and timely study of the genesis and success of far-right movements that will be essential reading for all scholars working on 20th-century Eastern European history, nationalism and the interplay of religion and politics.

Throughout the Second World War, the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile broadcast over the BBC from London, hoping to reach out to their former compatriots living in a divided and occupied Europe. As the only way of projecting their authority, President Beneš and his colleagues relied on the radio as a stage on which to perform as the government they wished to be, representing a Czechoslovak state they hoped to recreate after the war. Despite a ban on listening to foreign broadcasts in the German-occupied Protectorate and Slovakia, many tuned in to hear ‘London calling’ and the broadcasts provided the strongest connection between the London Czechoslovaks and the audience at home. This work examines this government programme for the first time, making use of previously unstudied archival sources to examine how the exiles understood their mission and how their propaganda work was shaped by both British and Soviet influences. This study assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of the government’s radio propaganda as they navigated the complexities of exile, with chapters examining how they used the radio to establish their own authority, how they understood the past and future of a Czechoslovak nation, and how they struggled to include Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia within it.

A New York Times bestseller The author of the beloved #1 New York Times bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran returns with the next chapter of her life in books—a passionate and deeply moving hymn to America Ten years ago, Azar Nafisi electrified readers with her multimillion-copy bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran, which told the story of how, against the backdrop of morality squads and executions, she taught The Great Gatsby and other classics of English and American literature to her eager students in Iran. In this electrifying follow-up, she argues that fiction is just as threatened—and just as invaluable—in America today. Blending memoir and polemic with close readings of her favorite novels, she describes the unexpected journey that led her to become an American citizen after first dreaming of America as a young girl in Tehran and coming to know the country through its fiction. She urges us to rediscover the America of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and challenges us to be truer to the words and spirit of the Founding Fathers, who understood that their democratic experiment would never thrive or survive unless they could foster a democratic imagination. Nafisi invites committed readers everywhere to join her as citizens of what she calls the Republic of Imagination, a country with no borders and few restrictions, where the only passport to entry is a free mind and a willingness to dream.

This engaging and insightful book is the first historical study in English portraying the lives and fates of Czech women. The seven life stories, ranging from the late 19th century to the present day, expose the often cruel political history of Bohemia (19th century), the Czech lands in Czechoslovakia (20th century), and the Czech Republic (20th–21st century) through the eyes of prominent women whose acts and deeds on behalf of their fellow citizens remain unforgotten in the Czech collective mind. The three chapters and four oral history interviews offer a captivating insight into how the situation of Czech women in society has changed during a most eventful period of history. This book has been preceded by a first volume on Slovak women (ISBN 9783838207087) whose lives have been of the same singular importance for Slovakia as their Czech counterparts were for their country. The two volumes are separate entities in their own right, but together provide the reader with a comprehensive picture of women's lives in the Czech lands and Slovakia, stressing the distinct political circumstances Czech and Slovak women have faced in recent history.

Foreword Words for the Second Edition Get to Know the Life of Dedication ---Extracts from Talks at the Symposium in Xinjiang Extracts of the Talks at the Symposium on Returning to Naturalness Mental and Physical Health and Returning to Naturalness ---Excerpts from the talks at the symposium in Urumqi An Extract of the Talk in the Symposium of Xinjiang Human Body Science Society Returning to Naturalness and the Perfection of Personality ---Extracts from Talks in the Symposium Held by Retired Cadres Talks in the Symposium on Returning to Naturalness (Extracts) Operations to Purify the Mind ---Extracts from the speech at a symposium in Wujiaqu, Xinjiang The Life of Dedication and Returning to Naturalness ---Extracts from talks in the symposium at Wujiaqu in Xinjiang Self-perfection in Cultivation and Tempering --- Extracts from the Talks made in Urumqi, Xinjiang The Inspiration of the mind ---By Dong Zhongrui, a retired cadre in Urumqi The Light of Jiaolong Culture Shines in the Universe ---By Dong Zhongru Ode to Lingshan Mountain The Three Operative Procedures on the Transformation of Different States and Levels By Shi Tiantang Shakyamuni Buddha’s Life of Dedication Lao Zi’s Life of Dedication The Life of Dedication（I） The Life of Dedication （II） The Life of Dedication and the Purification of the Mind Establish a Dedicational Life and Cultivate Upright Energy Purify the Mind, Perfect the Personality, Develop the wisdom and Sublimate the state ---A Talk at the First Session of the Fifth Symposium on Jiaolong Culture and traditional Culture Cultivate the Mind and Nourish the Nature by Living a Dedicational life Strive to Do Profitless Work and Be Willing to Take a Loss Build up the lofty aspiration for a dedicational Life The Purification and Dedication of a human Life A Blood Donator’s Dedicational Life Have a mindset of Selfless Dedication Dedication--- A Necessary Step to Upgrade the Mind and Personality Be willing to Do Profitless Work and Take a Loss

This book is an exploration of five of the principles that serve as cornerstones of modern liberal republicanism. The modern republic that functions on the democratic process owes its origins to the philosophers and activists of the Age of Enlightenment and Reason. To them we owe a debt we can only repay through our individual dedication to the principles discussed in this book, and our commitment to teach these principles to our children, so that this American republic, of the people, by the people, and for the people shall thrive beyond the foreseeable future, and shall not perish from the face of the earth.

This book is a study of ancient views about 'moral luck'. It examines the fundamental ethical problem that many of the valued constituents of a well-lived life are vulnerable to factors outside a person's control, and asks how this affects our appraisal of persons and their lives. The Greeks made a profound contribution to these questions, yet neither the problems nor the Greek views of them have received the attention they deserve. This book thus recovers a central dimension of Greek thought and addresses major issues in contemporary ethical theory. One of its most original aspects is its interrelated treatment of both literary and philosophical texts. The Fragility of Goodness has proven to be important reading for philosophers and classicists, and its non-technical style makes it accessible to any educated person interested in the difficult problems it tackles. This edition, first published in 2001, features a preface by Martha Nussbaum.