The aim of the current paper is to assess the Bulgarian reflections on T. G. Masaryk's death in 1937. I am going to apply the theoretical approach of the German historian Reinhart Koselleck, who asserted that the "political cult of the dead" should be explored in a certain historical context and the commemoration of the "dead hero" was intended to reconstruct historical events and images. Therefore, before approaching my main objective, I will make a brief overview of the Bulgarian image of TGM in the context of the Bulgarian-Czechoslovak political relationship during the interwar period. I rely mainly on Bulgarian and Czechoslovak periodical press as well as on archival sources, published documents, and secondary literature, related to the subject. In my case study the periodical press assumes the role of intercultural communication and a mechanism of constructing cultural and national stereotypes.
This article examines the cultural and religious aspects of the social life of Chicago Czechs in the second half of the 19th century. Firstly, there is a brief outline of the history of Czech Chicago. There is a description of the role of schools, cultural societies and religion in fostering the patriotism and national identity of Chicago Czechs. Finally, there is a look at the religious relationship between the Czech Catholics and freethinkers, and their influence on everyday life in Czech Chicago.
The paper explores the process of constructing the negative image of the Habsburg monarchy in the USA during the first year of WWI. My case study tackles an issue of transatlantic relations from the perspective of wartime propaganda. It is considered as one of the means of shaping the public opinion and influencing the policy decisions. In my presentation I will first evaluate the contribution of different actors involved in this process. Then I will assess the "response" of the Habsburg diplomacy to the propaganda campaign launched against the Danube monarchy. More precisely, I will explore not only the strategy their representatives developed, but will assess whether this strategy achieved its political ends or not. To put it simply, I will assess in what way the anti-Habsburg propaganda campaign in the USA influenced the relations between the USA and Austria-Hungary. In my paper I will rely mainly on the American periodical press, which, as contemporary Hungarian historiography points out, was an important factor in the American foreign policy.