Neo-Slavism and the Czechs 1898–1914

Originally published in 1977, this book filled a major gap in the studies of Eastern European history. It analyses the Neo-Slav movement using an exceptionally wide range of Czech primary sources. The subject is of considerable significance in connection with international relations in the period leading up to the First World War, with Czech intellectual history, and with the history of Czech-Russian relations. Neo-Slavism was essentially a Czech-inspired attempt to improve inter-Slav relations, and thus make possible more effective political, economic and cultural co-operation between the Slav peoples inside and outside the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The book analyses the conditions in the Czech lands of the Habsburg Empire which gave rise to Neo-Slavism, traces the development of the movement, and examines the responses it induced amongst other Slav peoples, the Russians in particular. The failures and inconsistencies of Neo-Slavism, which contributed towards its early demise, are also examined.