
Czechoslovakia between Stalin and Hitler
The Diplomacy of Edvard Benes in the 1930s
Igor Lukes(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 12. September 1996
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-19-510267-3 (ISBN)
Description
This is a diplomatic history of events leading up to the Munich crisis in 1938 in which Great Britain and France decided to appease Hitler's demands to annex the Sudetenland. While much has been written on this period, this book will be the most comprehensive to date and also the first to integrate a full understanding of the Czech role with wider events.
Reviews / Votes
Professor Lukes' book is one of the most important and interesting studies of the events which led to W.W. II. His study of the Czechoslovak crisis of 1938 is bolstered by the hither-to secret documents released recently by Moscow and Prague. It throws an intriguing light on the Soviet Union's role in the crisis as well as a number of other important questions that could not be resolved by historians until now. * Adam B. Ulam, Gurney Professor of History and Political Science, Harvard University * Mr. Lukes's treatise about the unfortunate country caught in the tongs handled by the two bloodiest dictators of Europe, brings to the story the fresh approach of an author unburdened with political affiliations or sympathies which often limit researchers of older generations. * Josef Skvorecyy, University of Toronto (emeritus) * This important study, based on hitherto inaccessible archival materials, seeks to reappraise Czechoslovak diplomacy in the late 1930s particularly toward the Soviet Union and Germany. It also offers a revisionist interpretation of soviet policies. In a fascinating presentation of crucial international events the author demolishes old cliches and exposes biased accounts; the book is not only a valuable contribution to history but is written in a way which retains the undivided attention of the reader. * Piotr S. Wandycz, Yale University * This by far the best treatment of the topic and it is also one of the best monographs dealing with the diplomacy of any one of the small European states that were in the thirties sandwiched between Stalin's Russia and Hitler's Third Reich....Groundbreaking and exemplary. * Dr. Antonin Klimek, Military Historical Institute and Charles University, Prague * A marvellous piece of work. Mercifully free of jargon and systems-speak, the book explores the foreign policy of the First Czechoslovak Republic from its creation in 1918 to its demise in 1938. The narrative focuses on the role of Foreign Minister Benes, but the book is really about the ways in which Czechoslovakia tried to survive in a terrible neighborhood, one that included not only the tyrants Hitler and Stalin, but avaricious smaller neighbors, like Poland and Hungary...Professor Lukes' book is one of the most important and interesting studies of the events which led to W.W. II. His study of the Czechoslovak crisis of 1938 is bolstered by the hither-to secret documents released recently by Moscow and Prague. It throws an intriguing light on the Soviet Union's role in the crisis as well as a number of other important questions that could not be resolved by historians until now. * Adam B. Ulam, Gurney Professor of History and Political Science, Harvard University *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
16 Fotos bzw. Rasterbilder
16 pp halftones
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
499 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-510267-3 (9780195102673)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
09/1996
Oxford University Press Inc
€194.50
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
05/1996
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€146.99
Available for download

E-Book
05/1996
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€82.99
Available for download
Person
Author
Associate University Professor, Department of International RelationsAssociate University Professor, Department of International Relations, Boston University