Drawing borders: the political and symbolic importance of the United States in the creation of Czechoslovakia

In 2011, a statue of Woodrow Wilson, based on the original erected in 1928, was re-installed at Woodrow Wilson Train Station in the capital of the Czech Republic. The original statue commemorated Wilson's involvement in the creation of interwar Czechoslovakia, and his support for its independence. It also symbolized the democratic ideals which brought the two nations together following the Great War. Woodrow Wilson played a major part in the history and memory of Czechs during their formative years of their state following World War I, a role which has not been forgotten. Today the Wilson statue is the site of ongoing political and national memory construction revealing the multi-layered aspects of Czech national identity and politics. There are three main components to the Czech-American relationship: the importance of the Czech argument of historic right to land, the role of Czech and Slovak immigrant groups in the United States in pressuring the Wilson Administration, and Wilson's worldview and idea of national self-determination Often interdependent, these three themes help explain the dual founding fathers myth of Czechoslovakia of Wilson and Masaryk, as well as the importance of this relationship in the present.

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Borgeson, Samantha

Contributors dc:contributor

• Robert Blobaum
• Katherine Aaslestad
• James Siekmeier

• History
• International relations
• European history

Identifier

https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/342

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchrepository.wvu.edu:etd-1345