Slovanství v názorech osobností československého politického a intelektuálního světa v době druhé světové války

The aim of this article is to draw attention on the phenomenon of Slavonism, an idea that was recognised and endorsed by certain Czech politicians and intellectuals during the Second World War. It also points out that Slavonism was (or might have been) an important factor in Czechoslovak- -Soviet rapprochement during the war. This process led to the signing of Czechoslovak-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Collaboration on December 12th, 1943. The analysis works with particular example of contemporary perception of Slavonism and how the Czech elite exploited it for political goals. The phenomenon is demonstrated on a sample selection of the most influential figures of Czechoslovak exile both in London and in Moscow that actively employed the notion of Slavonism. The research also traced the wider continuity of their attitudes to Slavonism in interwar Czechoslovakia, as well as, in certain cases, in the post-war era. The goal is to find out to what degree was the notion of Slavonism constructed as a purpose-built myth in an international context in order to reinforce the Czech and Slovak, or Czechoslovak national or state consciousness. Concrete examples show that in case of the figures selected, their Slavonist idealism stood in stark contrast to the ruthless pragmatism of Russian and Soviet representatives. Particular examples also prove that in case of Russians and Soviets, the underlying motive was one of Russian Pan-Slavism that was paramount for the Soviet Union during the Second World War as a moral and ideological reinforcement while resisting the continuous German onslaught. The motive mentioned was characterized by propagating the allegedly remarkably close relations between the Soviet Union and Slavic nations. In this respect, the focus of the study lays on the All-Slavic Committee in Moscow and the role that Zdeněk Nejedlý played in its proceedings. In the next part, the article contrasts Nejedlý’s Slavonism with the understanding of the same phenomenon by such figures of Czech and Czechoslovak politics as Edvard Beneš or Hubert Ripka, but also left-wing intellectuals like Jan Šverma or Vladimír Clementis. The study has an analytical character, with the centrepiece of the primary sources being the written works of the observed individuals and archival funds, mostly from the All-Slavic Committee in Moscow.