Abstract
This study focuses on the conditions of residence of German refugees in Czechoslovakia in the first as well as the longest period of time after their escape from Hitler's Germany, ie. from 1933 to the Anschluss of Austria in March 1938. Czechoslovak state began to provide asylum to such persons as one of the few countries in Europe.
Nevertheless Czechoslovak government didn´t try to incorporate them into state legal system. That brought many positive and negative aspects.
The attitude to refugees divided Czechoslovak society into two camps. Leftist intellectuals tried to support refugees of all forces.
They cooperated with refugee relief organizations, which began to emerge in Czechoslovakia. On the other hand members of right-wing oriented political parties wanted to prove that refugees posed a treat to economy and their coming was connected with the increase of crime.
At a later time the stance of Czechoslovak government to prominent refugees (e. g. Mann brothers), who had been granted Czechoslovak citizenship, became the key issue for overall situation of the German and Austrian refugees.
By an example of attitude to them, Czechoslovakia tried to present itself as an open democratic country.