M. R. Štefanik’s attitude to Russia, Revolution 1917 and bolshevism
Abstract
This article identifi es and gives an outline of views of Milan Rastislav Štefánik, one of the leaders of the Czechoslovak national movement, on the Russian revolution and bolshevism. The article also touches upon problems of the Czechoslovak national movement as Russia played the main role in their solution. In the course of his trips to Russia, Štefánik took a positive attitude to our country. During his fi rst journey to Russia in 1906–1907, he had an opportunity to become comprehensively familiar with the country, explore and get to love its vast expanse because from St Petersburg he set out for Tashkent. In the future he came to be a witness of events taking place in Russia in the period of revolution and civil war. Revolutionary events of 1917 have convinced Štefánik that Russia is losing its positions of a strong and infl uential country and cannot support the national movemenets of Czechs and Slovaks. The scholar considered bolshevism to be a reason for the decline of Russia. He regarded bolshevism as a threat that might like a bonfi re spread onto other nations. Because of this he regarded his activity for the strengthening of the military readiness of Czechoslovac legions in Siberia as his contribution to the resistance to bolshevists’ ideas.
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