A 1,000 Years of History - Czechoslovakia
Leaflet page 4 with a medieval sculpture, Karlstejn castle, the national War Memorial and a photograph of German troops in the Prague castle courtyard on 15 March 1939, with a quotation from Churchill of 16 October 1938. The tell is the quoted statesman as voucher for the 'model democratic state' claim and the medieval imagery paired with the occupation photograph.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1939
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- Issuer not stated (English-language leaflet series on Czechoslovakia, page 4)
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- Czechoslovakia
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Czechoslovak Government in Exile
- Leader
- Edvard Benes
- Audience
- Foreign public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Empire and colonialism
- Event
- World War II
- Source
- Unidentified Source blurred: contractors, cutouts, buried disclosure
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Foreign Posters, retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- Held by NARA, Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
Issuer not stated, National Archives and Records Administration, 44-PF-756.
Text on the object
A 1,000 YEARS OF HISTORY The Czechs look back on a thousand years of history. It was their historic role to obstruct Germany's "Push to the East". On the break up of the old Austrian Empire, the Czechoslovak people won back their freedom on the 28th October, 1918. Three days afterwards, the first Czechoslovak Government offered seats in the New National Assembly to the German minority. The Germans were given the same political and civic rights as the majority-and their rights were guaranteed by the Constitution itself. After the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia by the Munich Agreement, Mr. Churchill said, on October 16th, 1938:- "HERE WAS THE MODEL DEMOCRATIC STATE OF CENTRAL EUROPE, A COUNTRY WHERE THE MINORITIES WERE TREATED BETTER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. IT HAS BEEN DESERTED, DESTROYED AND DEVOURED . . ." TOP: When King Alfred was on the throne in 900 "Good King Wenceslas" was king of Bohemia. BOTTOM: The War Memorial which commemorates Czechoslovak liberation and holds the Museum of National Resurrection. TOP: Karlstejn. "the rock of Charles" medieval castle near Prague, founded by Charles the Great. BOTTOM: Enemy in the Castle: Nazi troops poured into the Castle courtyard at Prague on March 15th, 1939. 4
