This study focuses on Hana Benešová, one of the most significant female figures of the first half of the 20th century, and her role in the internal functioning and external reflection of the presidential “court” in exile in Great Britain during the Second World War. To a great extent, it highlights the continuity with the pre-war period. Emphasis is also placed on the elements of standard royal courts that are identical to those of the republican court.
The present essay does not aim to map in detail the institutional developments within the community of the Viennese Czechs nor does it focus on its social transformation, although it makes use of this broad framework. Its primary focus is on reflections and celebrations of Czechoslovak public holidays and other important days in the Czech-Viennese milieu. One of the central questions is to what extent Czechoslovak festivities resonated spontaneously there, and to what extent the Czechoslovak state contributed to the motivation for these ceremonies as an indoctrination tool.
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