Jan Cholínský: Lev Prchala. Army General or a Soldier? Remarks on Activities of Czech National Committee Chair-man in London in 1948–1963

The study introduces one of high-ranking military commanders in inter-war Czechoslovakia, who decided in 1939 to fight for liberating his enslaved country abroad. First, he was the founder of the anti-fascist resistance, later the leader of the so-called 'anti-national-front' opposition and finally, a significant representative of the anti-communist resistance. The study deals with Prchala's activities within the anti-communist resistance and follows chronologically the previous works of the author dedicated to General Prchala. It focuses on Prchala's activities related to the Czech National Committee before the exile seated in London and the Czech foreign resistance; the study points out both to merits but also deficiencies of its resistance strategy. Following are depicted as its merits: hard-line anti-communist attitude and efforts to take lessons from Czech negative political experiences in the 20th century, efforts leading to Central European federation and an active ambition for reconciliation between the Czechs and Czech Germans who were wrongfully displaced from renewed Czechoslovakia after the end of the WW2. The study presents also the insufficient justification why Prchala's rehabilitation was rejected by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defence after the fall of Communism, and also the statements of historians are mentioned, that cannot be proved by facts and therefore those statements are wrong, as they present this patriot and Christian Social democrat as a traitor and fascist radical.