[[ wow ]]
[[ I love when you can tell a book has been written by an obviously Western author…what’s more is his opinions seems to vary….but like, here is a statement from the preface of this book on the history of Czechoslovakia—
Czechoslovakia seems to disturb the world almost periodically every twenty years…
[This book was published in 1970, btw]
…I don’t know what to make of that statement, really. 8| The way it’s worded is like “man look at Czechoslovakia just constantly causing issues!!” when it’s more like the world was disturbing Czechoslovakia, so, uhm.
I mean this book has a lot of good information…but then I read the last page.
And it pissed me off.
So he goes ahead and states how time and time again Czechs and Slovaks have been overrun by powerful hegemonies—Holy Roman Empire, Habsburgs/Austria-Hungary, the Allies, Germany (+ Axis), Soviet Russia (though there is much more history with Russia than just that)….
But then he actually has the nerve to say—
Within these fundamental limits the Czechs and Slovaks have always been more or less free to shape their national destinies themselves Their fate is of interest to history, if they act with dignity and enjoy the relative freedom at their disposal. History has nothing to say when they behave like slaves.
…Did you not just write a book about the constant struggles they went through and how time and time again they tried to rise against it??? I just…what.
Way to end a history book…by condescending the very people you’ve been talking about for the past couple hundred pages. :|
