My War Memoirs.

by Edvard Beneš

The Czechoslovak minister of foreign affairs tells a detailed story of the revolutionary movement of the Czechs that led to the building of the new state, in the government of which he and President Masaryk have become the leaders.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1928

About the author

Edvard Beneš, Czechoslovakian politician, served from 1918 as foreign minister and from 1935 as president until the German occupation in 1938 forced him to flee the country; on his return, people again elected him 1946, but he refused to sign a Communist constitution in 1948 and afterward resigned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_...

Reviews

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

My War Memoirs by Edvard Beneš (which, fortunately, I just managed to snag from my university library before it was closed in the lock-down) is a dense and focused account of the Czechoslovak struggle for independence during the First World War. Even though this book is nominally a memoir, it reads much more like a detached political history, albeit one narrated in the first person.

Edvard Beneš was a remarkable man, though little is known about him here in the United States, it seems. By the time the war broke out in 1914, the 30 year Beneš had, in his words, already undergone the political and philosophical preparations which would stand him in good stead during the war and for his political career after it:

Thus, when the war broke out, its political meaning was, on the whole, obvious to me, while it was morally clear what I could, would, and must do. I never hesitated either for reasons of personal conviction or of practical political opportunism. From the very beginning one idea presented itself to me, and that was the consciousness of duty, the knowledge that the great moment had come when everybody who could and would accomplish something, must and would be an instrument of Providence in great and small things. (22)

From the start, he was committed to achieving an independent state for his people, the Czechs, and their Slovak brethren, though his initial role was small, as he was an unimportant figure next to all the established Czech politicians in Prague. Gradually, he established himself as an invaluable figure in the tiny resistance movement called the “Maffia”. In 1915 amidst growing persecution in Prague, Beneš fled Austria-Hungary to join his former university professor Tomáš Masaryk in exile

I had slipped away from home with only a small handbag, which my wife had hidden under her cape when she had accompanied me to the railway station at our summer quarters. I had promised her that I would return within two years at the most, and I told her to be prepared for hard times, as she would be harassed, cross-examined, and perhaps even imprisoned by the police. I advised her what attitude she was to adopt and what answers she was to give. Should things become unbearable she was to repudiate me. We were ready for whatever might befall. Every great and righteous cause demands sacrifices and they must be made resolutely and without sentimentality. And every sacrifice thus made will cost one’s opponents very dear. Such were my feelings when I took my seat in the train bound for Cheb and bade farewell to those who were dear to me.

It was not long before my wife and the others who were implicated in the plot were arrested and imprisoned in Vienna, as we had expected. (71)

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Beneš settled in Paris, the city which was to become his base so to speak for the next four years. In Paris, he worked to gain recognition from the Allies of the Czechoslovaks and their nascent independence movement. His first task was to acquaint Allied leaders with who the Czechs and Slovaks were, for many were unaware that they even existed. In 1916, the Czechoslovak National Council was formed amongst the Czechoslovak émigrés, and Beneš was given the position of General Secretary. Through ceaseless work Beneš and the National Council gained more and more recognition for their efforts. Beneš in particular played an enormous role. He negotiated with key Allied leaders including Briand, Clemenceau, Baron Sonnino, Orlando, Balfour and Lord Robert Cecil, and was instrumental in forming the Czechoslovak National Army—a volunteer army consisting of former POWs, and which would eventually fight on the Western and Italian Fronts and most notably in Russia and Siberia. By the end of the war, the Czechoslovak Council was recognized as an official de facto government by the Allied Powers, thanks in no small part to Beneš.

Beneš’ role in the Czechoslovaks’ struggle for independence was second only to Masaryk’s. Despite this, the story is told with considerable reserve. In fact, this book is probably the most detached memoir I have read. While Beneš goes to great detail in describing the events, he mostly omits personal details that I feel other memoirs would have focused on. For example, Beneš will often shrug off difficult negotiations, merely writing that in the end they managed to get what they wanted (though the amount of times that Beneš ends up getting what he wants is eloquent enough proof of his negotiation skill). Because of this reserved writing style and the amount of detail that is included, this book is a rather dry read. My War Memoirs is not the sort of book that a reader can casually pick up and read. I really had to devote my entire focus to each and every page.

Despite the dryness, I did enjoy reading My War Memoirs for the simple fact that I learned so much. Beneš’ memoirs provide a unique perspective on the Great War which I imagine would be hard to find elsewhere. Not only does he provide probably the most in-depth account of the creation of Czechoslovakia, but there is also quite a bit of insight into several important diplomatic aspects of the war. For instance, I enjoyed reading Beneš’ thoughts on the leading European statesmen, the peace negotiations that occurred during the war between Austria-Hungary and the Allies, and the policies of France, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia. And there are occasions where Beneš breaks the narrative to express more personal thoughts and feelings, such as in the following excerpt from late 1918:

While travelling to Rome I decided to visit our troops on the Italo-Austrian front, and this visit was one of my war experiences which I recall with the greatest pleasure. I started from Verona for the front by Lake Garda, and it is still with emotion that I remember the sight of the Alps occupied by our troops. Our cars passed through places where suddenly on the slopes there appeared hundreds of green uniforms and Italian hats with the red-white cockade. Farther on we unexpectedly passed from the mountain defile into a broad cavity, above which, in an amphitheatre, were assembled about 2,000 of our troops in a deluge of flags and waving hats. There was a long outburst of cheering, and I was then deeply moved as they intoned the strains of our national hymn, accompanied by the regimental band. The commander of the sector, having learnt about my visit, had rapidly organized this touching celebration which among these mountains at a height of several thousand feet, impressed me as few things have done in my life. I was greeted by several of those who had attended my university lectures. They were all filled with resolution and confidence, and they reminded me of the veiled suggestions which I had managed to embody in my lectures and which they had thoroughly understood.

During these moments there passed through my mind the memory of all that had happened from 1914 until October 1918, i.e. from the time when I had been creeping through the streets of Prague with treasonable documents in my pockets; when I had received messengers from Switzerland with suspicious luggage; when, as an outlaw, I had succeeded at the eleventh hour in escaping across the frontier; when I had begun my life of hardship in Paris, right up to that very moment when our national army were greeting me with songs and rifle salutes as a representative of our national Government, with a general of an Allied Great Power, and when, only a few miles away, the Austro-Hungarian military forces were awaiting an attack which was perhaps to have fatal consequences for them. (428-429)

Regarding the reliability and objectivity of the book, I’m inclined to say that it is a largely objective account. As I mentioned earlier, this book feel less like a memoir and more like a political history. This book was published in 1928, when Beneš was serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Czechoslovakia, a post he held from 1918 until 1935, when he became the second President of Czechoslovakia.

There are just a few more things to add about the translation and publication before I wrap up this review. I thought the English translation by Paul Selver was excellent. In his note, however, he writes that “the present version…has been prepared specially with a view to the interests of English and American readers” (13). The Czech and French editions were both published in multiple volumes, which makes me wonder what was left out in this English version. Regardless, there is enough detail to satisfy almost anyone who is interested in this subject.

I would recommend My War Memoirs by Edvard Beneš to those who want to learn more about this fascinating subject, though I would advise any potential readers to have some familiarity with the background before reading. In conclusion, I think that is a fascinating and thorough history of the creation of Czechoslovakia. It sheds a light on an aspect of history which is little known in the West, and for that alone it is valuable.

[Mateu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting view of WWI events leading to the Czechoslovak independence from the Habsburg empire. Although one might think its vision being a bit biased, it definitely shows the ambiance, the fears, the mistrusts and morals behind every turn and decision, mostly on the allied side.