Tomasz Masaryk is a real hero for the Czech Republic. He was the leader of a movement that aimed to achieve independence for Czechoslovakia. Having created the state, he became its first president and ruled the formation from 1918 to 1935.
This legendary man was able to achieve everything thanks to his outstanding qualities. From the article you can learn more about his family, studies, wife, social activities and political views. The Czech sociologist and philosopher changed the life of his people in many ways, for which he was nicknamed "father".
The philosopher's family
Tomasz Masaryk was born on 1850-07-03 in Moravia (at that time the Austrian Empire). His family belonged to ordinary workers. Father's name was Josef (years of life 1823-1907). By nationality, he was a Slovak from Hungary. Mother's name - Teresa (years of life 1813-1887). As a girl, she bore the surname Kropachkova, and by nationality she was a German fromMoravia.
Josef Masaryk did not have land and even his own house. In his younger years, he was hired to work in large farms, and after the birth of Tomasz he became a coachman. The family lived in a service house. Josef did not go to school, so he could hardly read. At the same time, he was a very proud man with a strong character, he was not afraid to argue with his employers. Therefore, he had to constantly change jobs, moving from one property to another.
Tomas himself recalled that his father was capable, but a simple man, so the main thing in the house was his mother. In her younger years, Teresa worked as a cook in rich houses, as a maid in Vienna. Since her native village was completely Germanized, she spoke and wrote only in German. Much later, when all her sons became public figures, she tried to speak Slovak with him, but she did not succeed.
The family spoke German, but my father often switched to Slovak, just like Tomas in the yard, playing with his peers.
Study period
At the age of six, Tomasz Masaryk went to study at a village school. He showed good progress in his studies, so the teacher advised his parents to send him to high school. They did just that. The boy finished it in 1863 and returned home. Here he began to help the teacher, learn music, read. The teacher's seminary was accepted only from the age of sixteen, and Tomas was only fourteen, so his mother decided to send him to Vienna to get a job as an apprentice locksmith.
A boy in the master's houseperformed household chores. One day one of the students stole and sold his books. This was the last straw, and young Masaryk fled home. His parents decided to give him as an apprentice to a blacksmith. And so another year passed.
The role of the village priest in the life of Tomasz
In the life of every great person there are moments that determine his future path. Tomas Masaryk did not escape this either. Interesting facts about his life would be incomplete without mentioning the village priest. It was Franz Satora who gave the boy his books to read, taught him Latin and convinced his parents to let their son study further. The priest helped the young man with his exams, and he was able to enter the second grade of a German gymnasium. So, at the age of fifteen, he moved to the city of Brno.
Parents did not send money to the young man, so he was forced to become a tutor, and later a home teacher for the police chief's son. In the gymnasium, the young man studied for free and enjoyed great prestige among other gymnasium students. At the same time, ideas about the revival of the Czech nation took root in him. Due to a conflict with the principal, Tomas never graduated from this gymnasium.
How Masaryk got his middle name
The chief of police, whose son was trained by Masaryk, went on promotion and moved to Vienna. He helped the young man enter the capital's gymnasium. Her boyfriend graduated in 1872 at the age of twenty-two. Then he was able to graduate from the university in Vienna, studying at the same time at the philological and philosophical faculties. A few more years later hewill become an associate professor at the University of Vienna in philosophy.
While studying in graduate school, the young man met an American, Charlotte Garrig. She was the daughter of a New York banker. The father was against their relationship and gave his permission for the marriage only after Masaryk refused the dowry. Young people lived modestly, using Tomasz's income. This is how the name Tomas Garrigue Masaryk appeared. He took his middle name in honor of his wife. Charlotte bore him four children and learned Czech.
The wife did not provide her chosen one with money, but she helped him in everything. She even once served several months in an Austrian prison for her husband's political activities. And the Charlotte family still did not leave their daughter with anything. When the Masaryk couple lived in the USA, Tomasz worked for his father-in-law, communicated with businessmen and politicians, including one of the US presidents, Woodrow Wilson.
Czech question
Because of his political views, Tomasz Masaryk could not hope for a professorship in Vienna. It was a salvation for him when, in 1882, the imperial administration allowed a university to be opened in the Czech Republic. He moved to the Czech Republic and engaged in educational activities, including publishing the magazine "Atenium".
In the Czech Republic at that time there were two main parties - the Young Czechs and the Old Czechs. Representatives of both organizations took hostility to the activities and thoughts of the philosopher. They did not want to accept him for a long time, but over time, Tomasz was able to prove the correctness of his point of view and achieved such authority in society that both partieswould like to add his name to their lists. Thus, they hoped to get as many votes as possible in the elections to the imperial parliament.
Masaryk, on the other hand, sought to raise the issue of creating a Czech state with its own language and culture before the public. At the same time, he was never against German culture, believing that enrichment with different cultures would make the Czechs an even more developed and multifaceted nation.
Since 1891, the politician has been elected to parliament many times (Czech and imperial). He led the Realist Party and then the Czech People's Party.
Confrontation
At the beginning of the First World War, the politician was convicted and sentenced to death, accusing him of high treason. In the Czech Republic, its activities ceased for a while. Tomasz Masaryk was forced to leave his native places.
He was against the Austrian policy regarding the war. Masaryk saw and understood how hard it was for the Czechs to fight against the Slavs. That is why he created the anti-Austrian underground.
At the same time, Tomasz Garik Masaryk was ambivalent about Russia. He did not see her as a real ally in the creation of the Czech state, although he had been there many times, talked with Maxim Gorky, Leo Tolstoy.
The politician saw allies in Britain, France, the USA. It was these powers that recognized the creation of the Czechoslovak National Council, headed by Masaryk.
In 1917 he lived in Kyiv, where his Council was located. The politician often traveled toMoscow and Petrograd, he happened to witness how the Bolsheviks came to power in all three cities mentioned.
As Head of State
Tomasz Masaryk and the formation of Czechoslovakia are inextricably linked. Even during his lifetime, his name began to acquire a cult of personality - he was considered the spiritual leader of free Czechoslovakia.
The politician was a fan of Anglo-American culture. He wanted to create a liberal multi-party democracy. Masaryk's presidency was of a humanist nature. He allowed the introduction of national minorities into the politics of the state.
The politician headed the state until 1934-01-04, until he was struck by a stroke. A year later, at the age of eighty-five, he handed over the reign to his student and follower E. Beneš. On September 14, 1937, his biography ended: Tomasz Masaryk died, and a year later the state he created ceased to exist.
Memory of politics
As already mentioned, even during his lifetime, Tomasz Masaryk had a nickname - he was called "father". Coins were issued in his memory, many streets were named, there is a museum in Hodonin dedicated to this great man, and in Israel, the city and square in Tel Aviv bears his name.
In the modern independent Czech Republic there is even an order, which was established in memory of the great public and political figure of the state.
