In the shadow of rising totalitarianism and the looming threat of Nazi Germany, Rotary clubs in Czechoslovakia faced unprecedented challenges. As other clubs across Europe were dissolved, the Rotary movement in Czechoslovakia strove to maintain its international influence, driven by leaders like František Král. However, the Munich Agreement in 1938 marked a turning point, leading to the eventual dissolution of many clubs and the loss of Czechoslovakia's strong Rotary presence.

In May 1938 the District Conference took place in Košice. At that time Rotary clubs no longer existed in either the German or the Austrian part of Nazi Third Reich. Nobody expected a similar development in Czechoslovakia. Nevertheless, the acceding District Governor František Král, an internationally recognised Brno veterinary surgeon, established the strongest possible support of the prestige of Czechoslovakia abroad through Rotary as a defence and a priority.

He had a strong reason for this choice. At this time, Czechoslovakia had the third largest number of Rotary clubs in Europe after Great Britain and France. This strong position was characterised for example by the personal letter of Paul Harris to one of the District 66 governors, the Pilsener Rotarian Alois Červenka. In it Harris praises the activities of Rotary clubs in Czechoslovakia and calls them pillars of Rotary in Europe. The RI secretary for Europe at the time, Dr A. Potter, after visiting Rotary clubs in Kolín, Žamberk, Brno, Bratislava, Hradec Králové, Pragiue, Karlovy Vary and Česká Třebová, called the work in the clubs a “Rotary sensation”. It is worth noting how many smaller and broader texts about Czechoslovakia and our Rotarians were being published in The Rotarianm the official world-wide magazine.

Our position was strengthened by the participation of three ex-governors in the central RI leadership in Chicago and by the strong position of the acting governors in the Republic. In this context it is important to mention again Jan Masaryk, who had been one of the founders of RC Prague in 1925. His personal and official relations affected positively the Rotary environment. Through his whole life in different professional and personal positions he remained a glue between Prague (his birthplace), the USA (the origin of his mother and wife, the daughter of the first American minister in Prague) and -London (where his father, TGM, lived during the 1^st world war.

The inhabitants of Czechoslovakia were, however, in for a shock. The Nazi Third Reich and Italy made an agreement with Great Britain and France in Munich that as an ultimatum ordered Czechoslovakia to submit to Hitler´s territorial demands and on 1^st October cede its borderlands (Sudetenland). From our position this meant the immediate end to Rotary clubs in Mariánské Lázně, Karlovy Vary, Teplice-Šanov, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec and Opava. France, a signatory of the Munich agreement, suffered the occupation by the Nazi Third Reich and the demise of its Rotary clubs just a little bit later in 1940.

Following the Munich agreement, Czechoslovakia ceded its part of Těšín Silesia to Poland and southern Slovakia and Ruthenia to Hungary. Rotary clubs in these places, however, could continue their activities. In May 1939 the RC Český Těšín changed its name to Cieszyn Zachodni and ceased to exist only in October 1940. RC Košice changed its name to Kassa and RC Užhorod to Ungvár. Both closed only in June 1942 like e.g. RC Budapest.

In mid-October 1938 an extra-ordinary Conference was called of the reduced number of Rotary Clubs in the reduced Czechoslovakia to discuss the new situation. Several Clubs announced immediate closing of their activities, while others supported an increase in activities to support the principles of Rotary and remaining in its international community. The positive result was announced by Governor František Král in a letter to the Clubs of 18^th October 1938. The following is written there: “Let us strive to ensure that the name “Czechoslovak” expresses perfect quality of personality, creativity and nationhood. Let us keep our faith and we shall overcome.

This decision and hope was strengthened by the fact that expressions of condolence and sympathy, as well as offers of support were coming from Rotarians from all over the world, the first cheques arrived (often for high amounts) with requests to use them for the benefit of the needy. Some Clubs, e.g. the Prague one, started to organise collections to help refugees from borderlands. In the first months 1939, some Rotary Clubs changed their rules of order and names. As cultural or educational associations they thus survived until 1941 when Reinhard Heydrich started to introduce broad restrictions. It is possible that a similar approach allowed some of the four Slovak Clubs to survive for some time also.

In mod-March 1939 Hitler liquidated the little that remained from Czechoslovakia after the Munich agreement – On 14^th March the Slovak state (first Slovak republic) was declared, which was closely linked with the Nazi Rhird Reich, and on 15^th March the Protectorate od Bohemia and Moravia was established as its part.

On 23^rd March 1939 the Acting Land Vice-President Bienert, through the Police Directorate, called for a voluntary dissolution of Rotary Clubs and similar associations on the territory of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. This call was strengthened 22^nd August 1939 by an official edict of the Protectorate Ministry of Interior with the term of 26^th August 1939. We can assume that a similar approach was implemented in Slovakia. With the demise of Czechoslovak Rotary Clubs ended also Rotary District No. 66.

Zhe demise of Rotary Clubs in 1938-39 was in some sense chaotic. Some Clubs jujst stopped their activities, others finished their existence in fact, but did not do so administratively. The RI centre was also receiving just partial news reports. In order to unify this agenda and to ensure that the possible future renewal of Club activity would not be blocked, the RI Board of Directors decided that the date of ending the activities of Clubs of the late Czechoslovakia in the case of uncertainty would be considered to be 19^th January 1940.

Ex-Rotarians kept arousing the attention of thewir surroundings, especially of the servants of the Nazi regime, collaborators and the Gestapo in Bohemia and Moravia, or the Hlinka Guards in Slovakia. According to a study performed in 1946 more than two hundred (one sixth of the total) Czechoslovak ex-Rotarians were jailed or otherwise persecuted for different reasons. A large number of Rotarians left for other countries where they became members of local Clubs. After Czechoslovakia was liberated, this became an advantage while Clubs were being renewed.

While before the Munich agreement Rotary Clubs existed in 92 countries of the world, in October 1946 there were only 74 of them.

The Changes of Czechoslovakia.

The Republic of Czechoslovakia (the First Republic) 28^th October 1918 – 30^th September 1938

Munich agreement 29^th September 1938

The Czecho-Slovak Republic (the Second Republic) 30^th September 1938 – 15^th March 1939

The Slovak State (the First Slovak Republic) 14^th March 1939 – 3^rd May 1945

¨The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia 16^th March 19396 – 3th May 1945

The Czechoslovak Republic (the Third Republic) 4^th April 1945 – 9^th June 1948

Svatopluk K. Jedlička

RC Praha City