Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia, was born on March 7, 1850 in Hodonin, Moravia. During his youth Masaryk worked as a blacksmith and attended the gymnasium in the Moravian capital of Brünn and later in Vienna. In 1872, Masaryk enrolled at Vienna University, and graduated in 1876 with a degree in philosophy. The following year he worked as a private tutor in Leipzig, where he met his future wife, Charlotte Garrigue. For the next few years Masaryk taught as an unsalaried tutor at Vienna University. In 1882, he was appointed Professor Extraordinarius of philosophy at the University of Prague and nominated to a full professorship in 1897. Masaryk’s embrace of western ideas in sociology and political science (as opposed to Czech romanticism) can be seen in his writings for
two journals; Athenäum and As. In these publications he endeavored to synthesize German idealism and West European positivism and provide a critical examination of Czech culture and science. He wrote extensively on Russian history, panslavism, religion, philosophy, and in strong opposition to Marxism.
Masaryk's religious beliefs changed with time. In 1880, he completely abandoned Catholicism for Protestantism. He later discontinued his affiliation with Christianity and embraced agnosticism.
In the Austrian Reichsrat and the Bohemian Landtag, Masaryk served as deputy of the Young Czech (Liberal) Party from 1891 to 1893. In 1907, he served as deputy for the moderately left liberalist Realist party and strongly resisted the Dual Monarchy's alliance with Germany and its annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908.
At the onset of World War I, Masaryk journeyed to western Europe to promote the a cause of Czech statehood. From 1914 to 1918, he argued for Czech independence in Switzerland, France, Britain, Italy, Russia, and the United States. In 1917 he organized the Czech Legion after receiving permission from Bolshevik leaders. He also went to the United States where President Wilson recognized him as leader of an independent state on 3 September, 1918. On November 14, he was elected "president and liberator" of Czechoslovakia. He was reelected in 1920, 1927, and 1934. In 1935, at the age of eight-five he retired and handed his responsibilities as president to one of his pupils, Eduard Beneš. Masaryk died in Castle Lana on September 14, 1937.
Sources:
Herwig, Holger H. and Nell M. Heyman. Biographical Dictionary of World War I.. Westport,
Connecticut, 1982.
Stevenson, John. Columbia Dictionary of European History since 1914. New York, 1992.
Provenance Note:
The materials that comprise this collection were donated to USU Special Collections & Archives by Spencer L. Taggart in 1977.
Scope & Content Note:
This manuscript collection includes Masaryk's unpublished work, Spirit of Russia (Russland
und Europa) vol. III translated into English, Horak's translation of Russia and Europe (Rusko a
Europa) vol III in Czech, Taggart's correspondence with Alice G. Masaryk and a Law Firm
concerning the translation, a variety of writings from Masaryk on a broad range of subjects, notes
on conversation concerning Masaryk, indexes and speeches of Masaryk in Sessions of Czech
Diet and Austrian Parliament, and articles and correspondence concerning Communism.
Included in a number of folders are guides of information for many parts of the collection. These
guides originate from the general guide to the whole collection made by Spencer L. Taggart.
The Thomas G. Masaryk Collection consists of ca. 1156 books and pamphlets by or concerning
Masaryk, extensive runs of three newspapers with which the Czech statesman was associated
(located in BOOK COLL 45) and the typescripts of his unpublished manuscripts, and a
compilation of Masaryk's speeches and actions in the Czech Diet and Austrian Parliament
included here.
Inventory:
Box 2: Spencer L. Taggart's Acquisition of Masaryk's Unpublished Work, the Spirit of Russia
(Russland und Europa) Vol. III from Dr. Oskar Odstrcil; Taggart's Pursuit of the Book's
Translation and Publication
Folder 1 Picture of Thomas G. Masaryk; Masaryk's Spirit of Russia Background to volume III
Folder 2 Attachments I, Ia -- Index to Russia and Europe and Correspondence with Rudolph
(March 24, 1957)
Folder 3 Attachment II -- Correspondence with Alice G. Masaryk (September 26, 1955 --January 22,
1963)
Folder 4 Attachment III -- Chapter 1 -- Formula (Translated into English) and Some
Manuscript Notes in Czech
Folder 5 Attachment III -- Chapter 2 -- Nihilism Anarchistic Atheism (Translated into
English)
Folder 6 Attachment III -- Chapter 3 -- Zorima Religious Philosophy (Translated into
English)
Folder 7 Attachment III -- Chapter 4 -- Feuerbach Against The Monk (Translated into
English)
Folder 8 Attachment III -- Chapter 5 -- The Grand Inquisitor (Translated into English)
Folder 9 Attachment III -- Chapter 2 (4 2) -- Zosima -- Heretic; Dostoevsky -- Skeptic
(Translated into English)
Folder 10 Attachment III -- Chapter 32 -- Titanism and Russian Literature (Translated into
English)
Folder 11 Attachment III -- Chapter 32 -- Titanism and Russian Literature (Copy of German
Typescript)
Folder 12 Attachment IV -- Correspondence with Law Firm Representing Alice G. Masaryk
(June 1958 --June 1959)
Folder 13 Attachment ? -- Information from a pamphlet on Soviet Psychiatry} This
Information Came from Correspondence from John 7 (August 29, 1955); Additional Manuscript
Notes
Folder 14 Volume III of the Russia and Europe (Rusko a Europa) by Masaryk - An Outline of the
Contents of the Unpublished Manuscript Based on the Czech and German Versions Available --
Prepared by Dr. Ladislav Radimsky
Box 3: Horak's Translation of Russia and Europe (Rusko a Europa) Vol. III in Czech --
Typescripts and Carbon Copies -- Circa 1931
Folders 1-2 Part l: Preface, Chapters 2, 3, 4
Folders 3-4 Part II: Chapters 5, 6, 7 (Missing), 8
Folders 5-6 Part III: Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12
Folders 7-8 Part IV: Chapters 13 (Parts 1-3. Part 4), 14, 15, 16, 17 (Part 1, 2), 18. 19.20
Box 4: Variety of Writings Mostly from Masaryk on a broad Range of Subjects
Folder 1 O Slušnosti (Savoir Vivre) (Social Propriety) -- Concerning Proper Social Behavior
in Czechoslovakia
Folder 2 Muj pomer k literature - supplement to Making of the World Revolution entitled - (My
Relationship to Literature) - Concerning Masaryk's Relationship to Literature
Folder 3 Masarykova ceská filosofie - (Masaryk's Czech Philosophy) - An Answer to Josef
Pekar's Book with the Stone Title
Folder 4 O periodisaci ceskych dejin - (On the Periodization of Czech History) -- Masaryk's
Rebuttal to Pekaf's Lecture on the Stone Subject
Folder 5 Letter to Dr. J. Herben from Masaryk (May 21, 1914) -- c/o CAS -- Concerning
improvement of the Newspaper in CAS
Folder 6 Original Single Sheet from Masaryk's Working File On His View of History --
Circa 1912 at Time of His Dispute with Peka about Philosophy and Czech History
Folder 7 List of the 48 Titles to be Reprinted for the 100th Anniversary of Masaryk's Birth - March
7, 1950 -- Received from Odstercil (Masaryk's Archivist) in 1947; Notes on Odstercil's Reports
on Institute 1936; Reports on Institute 1938-1945; Activities of Institute 1945-1946
Folder 8 Statement by Dr. Zenkl (Lord Mayor of Prague at this time) on providing a building
for the T.G. Masaryk Institute in 1955
Folder 9 Biography of Dostoevsky in German
Box 5: Notes on Conversation Concerning Masaryk; Speeches of Masaryk in 3rd, 4th, and 5th
Sessions of Czech Diet (1892-1893) and 11th Session of the Austrian Parliament (1891--1894)
Folder 1 Spencer L. Taggart Notes on Conversation about Masaryk (July 3, 1947) with Jan Jína,
Personal Secretary to President Beneš -- Logan, 1976 -- Typescript and Manuscript
Folder 2 Spencer L. Taggart Notes on Conversation about Masaryk (May 6, 1947) with
Jaroslav Werstadt, Czech Historian and Writer -- Logan, 1976 -- Typescript and Manuscript
Folders 3-4 Part I: E. 1 -- Index of Masaryk's Activities in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sessions of
the Czech Diet of 1892-1893
Folder 5 Speeches -- Czech Diet -- Part I: E. 1. (a) --Part I: E. 1. (I)
Folder 6 Eight Plates with Pictures, Names, Professions, and Places of Residence of
Members of the Czech Diet from 1901--1907
Folder 7 Part I. E. 2. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Activities in the 11th Session of the Austrian
National Assembly from 1891-1894
Folders 8-20 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 2. (b) -- Part I: E. 2. (m)
Box 6: Masaryk's Speeches from the 11th Austrian National Assembly (Austrian Parliament.
Delegation Budapest, Delegation Wien) (1892)
Folders 1-20 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- 1-20 Part I: E. 3. (a) -- Part I: E. 3. (s)
Box 7: Masaryk's Speeches to the 11th Austrian National Assembly (1893 -- 1894)
Folders 1-13 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 4. (a) -- Part I: E. 4. (m)
Folders 14-16 Speeches -- Delegation (Budapest) -- Part I: E. 5. (a) -- Part I: E. 5.
Folders 17-21 Speeches--Delegation (Wien) -- Part I: E. 6. (a)--['art I: E. 6. (e)
Box 8: Masaryk's Speeches at the 18th, 19th, and 20th Sessions of the House of' Deputies of the
Austrian Parliament (1907-- 1911)
Folder 1 Part I. E. 7. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Actions in the 18th Session (June 17, 1907 --February
4, 1909) Fds 2-12 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 7. (b) -- Part I :E. 7. (1)
Folder 13 Part I. E. 8. (a) -- Index to Masaryk's Actions in the 20th Session (March 12 -- July
6, 1909)
Folders 14-16 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 8. (b) --Part I: E. 8. (d)
Folder 17 Part I: E. 9 Index of Masaryk's Actions in the 20th Session (July 17. 191 I -- March
12, 1914)
Box 9:
Masaryk's Speeches at the 21 st Session of the House of Deputies of the Austrian National
Assembly, and the 44th and 45th Sessions of the House of Delegates of the Austrian National
Parliament (1911-1914)
Folder 1 Part I: E. 10. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Actions in the 21st Session (July 17, 1911 --March
12, 1914)
Folders 2-5 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 10. (b) -- Part I: 10. (e)
Folder 6 Part I: E. 11. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Actions in the 44th Session (October 12,
1910 -- November 18, 1910)
Folders 7-13 Speeches -- Vienna Delegation -- Part I: E. 11. (b) -- Part I: E. 11. (h)
Folder 14 Part I: E. 12. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Actions in the 45th Session (December 28,
1910 -- March 4, 1911)
Folders 15-22 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 12. (b) -- Part I: E. 12 (I)
Box 10: Masaryk's Speeches at the 46th and 47th Sessions of the House of Delegates of the
Austrian National Parliament (1911 - 1912); Masaryk' s Bibliography; Articles and
Correspondence Concerning Communism
Folder 1 Part I: E. 13. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Actions in the 46th Session (December 28.
1911 -- October 16, 1912)
Folders 2-5 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 13. (a) -- Part I: E. 13. (e)
Folder 6 Part I: E. 14. (a) -- Index of Masaryk's Actions n the 47th Session (November 5-22,
1912)
Folders 7-9 Speeches -- Austrian Parliament -- Part I: E. 14. (b) -- Part I: E. 14. (d)
Folder 10 List of Articles by and on Masaryk in Cas (1887-1905 and 1913-1915, inclusive)
(Typescript, Photocopy, and Original Notes Typescript)
Folder 11 Article by Amost Heidreil: "Syntetický prehled o vývoji zahraniní politiky
ceskoslovenské po druhé svtové valce az do listopadu 1948"
Folder 12 Notes by Julius Firt on World War II made while in London
Folder 13 Letter to Spencer Taggart from Julius of the Radio Free Europe -- enclosed in the letter
was a memorandum entitled "The Czechoslovak Problem and Radio Free Europe"
Folder 14 Article "Have Czech and Slovak Exiles Collaborated with Communism?" (Second
Part of the Answer to the memorandum of the Slovak Liberation Committee)
Folder 15 Article by Peter Zenkle Entitled "How They Did It?"
Box 11: Articles, Reports, and Correspondence Concerning Communism
Folder 1 Articles in Czechoslovakian and American Newspapers, Congressional Records, and
Written Presentations by Peter Zencle concerning Communism in Czechoslovakia.
Folder 2 Articles from Committee of Foreign Affairs and Rudolf Sturm Concerning
Czechoslovakia and Communism
Folder 3 Report: "My Trip to Some of the Free European Countries Undertaken with the
Help of Free Europe Committee from September 25 to October 26, 1955.
Folder 4 Articles in CAS Cechoslováku v Anglii
Folder 5 Article in Czechoslovakian
Folder 6 Correspondence from Ferdinand Peroutka with an enclosed memorandum written
by Peroutka and entitled "Was Eduard Benes Guilty?"
Folder 7 Note from Dr. Joseph Hasek with Enclosed Photostatic Copy and Newspaper Clipping of
Article Entitled "Behind The Prague Trials" by Hasek; Portraits of Masaryk from an Unknown
Magazine; Newspaper Clipping of Milton Hindu's Book Review' of David Magarshak's Book,
GOGOL.
