The First Year of Czechoslovakia in Opava and the Opava Region as Reflected in the Czech and German Periodical Press
| Stránky | 7–40 |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.37520/amnpsc.2026.002 |
| Klíčová slova | Czechoslovakia 1918–1919 — Opava — periodical press — Czech–German relations — Sudetenland 1918 |
| Typ článku | Recenzovaný článek |
| Citace | ONDERKOVÁ, Jana Brožovská. The First Year of Czechoslovakia in Opava and the Opava Region as Reflected in the Czech and German Periodical Press. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum. Prague: National Museum, 2026, 71(1-2), 7–40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/amnpsc.2026.002. ISSN 2570-6861 (Print), 2570-687X (Online). Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/periodicals/acta-musei-nationalis-pragae-historia-litterarum/71-1-2/the-first-year-of-czechoslovakia-in-opava-and-the-opava-region-as-reflected-in-the-czech-and-german-periodical-press |
The aim of the study is to provide a more detailed account of the historical events in Opava between the autumn of 1918 and the first half of 1919. During this period, the Habsburg monarchy collapsed, Czechoslovakia was established, the province of Sudetenland came into being and subsequently ceased to exist, and Opava became occupied by the Czechoslovak army. Since archival sources have survived only in fragmentary form, the events in Opava and its immediate surroundings cannot be reconstructed solely on their basis, even when supplemented by other available materials such as participants’ recollections preserved in memoir literature. This article thus complements the above-mentioned sources by drawing on contemporary periodical press. It proceeds from the hypothesis that political views, their practical application, and a number of further details concerning the course of events may also be recovered through the analysis and comparison of available periodicals, which were typically closely aligned with political tendencies and specific parties.
Therefore, the study traces the events as reflected in the individual extant periodicals published in Opava, in several nearby towns, or intended for readers in Opava. The information obtained has been compared across these titles, because in many cases the interpretation and description of events are strongly shaped by the authors’ national and political positions. Wherever possible, the data have been further compared with other sources.
The results have demonstrated the potential of using the periodical press for historical research, particularly for supplementing factual information, tracing the development of public opinion, and analysing political partisanship in the region. However, a comparison with extant archival materials has also revealed its limitations in certain cases. The analysis of the press and its comparison with other types of historical sources further highlight the differences between the ways in which political groups communicated with voters in the periodical press and their actual political conduct.