The Quest for Balance: Attitudes of the Czechoslovak Independence Movement Abroad to the Adriatic Problem During the First World War
Abstract
This article deals with the activities of Czechoslovak independence movement leaders during the First World War, especially their involvement in the Adriatic Question. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Edvard Beneš and Milan Rastislav Štefánik, representatives of the Czechoslovak National Council in exile, pursued a single goal during the war: an independent state.
This study analyzes their skilful negotiations in the Adriatic region, where Italian and South Slavic territorial ambitions collided. Personal correspondence and diaries of the main protagonist of the Czechoslovak National Committee reveal the thinking behind their negotiations with the Italian representatives and the protagonists of Yugoslav Committee.
These documents shed light on Masaryk, Beneš and Štefánik's behind-the-scenes discussions, their opinions on other politicians and their different attitudes to them.