Alois Eliáš (29 September 1890 – 19 June 1942) was a
Czech general and politician. He served as prime minister of the puppet government of the
German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...
from 27 April 1939 to 27 September 1941 but maintained contact with the
government-in-exile
A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile ...
. Because of his participation in the
anti-Nazi resistance, he was the only head of government who was murdered by the Nazis during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Education
Eliáš graduated in
geodesy
Geodesy ( ) is the Earth science of accurately measuring and understanding Earth's figure (geometric shape and size), orientation in space, and gravity. The field also incorporates studies of how these properties change over time and equival ...
from the
Czech Technical University
Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, cs, České vysoké učení technické v Praze, ČVUT) is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Central Europe. I ...
in 1911. Working for a private company as a land surveyor, he was sent to
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
to work on the construction of a railway.
[Antonin Eliáš]
on Czech Government official site
Military career
After the Austrian declaration of war on
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
, Eliáš was called up for service with the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
and was sent with the Prague 28th Infantry Regiment to
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
. After only a few days, Eliáš was taken prisoner by the Russians on 28 August 1914 during the
Galicia campaign.
In 1917, Eliáš learnt of the existence of
Czechoslovak Legions
, image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg
, image_size = 200px
, alt =
, caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms
, start_date ...
, which he joined.
[ They were volunteer armed forces fighting on the side of the Entente Powers during ]World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
(France, Britain, Italy, Russia) with the goal of winning the Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
' support for independence and were ultimately successful.
Eliáš was later dispatched to France, where he studied at the officer school at St Maixent, and was later assigned to the 21st Czechoslovak Regiment as a platoon commander. In the autumn of 1918, he took part in battles at Terron and on the Aisne. For his bravery and command skills, he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first aw ...
and made a member of the Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...
.
His studies in France significantly accelerated Eliáš's career after the war. In Prague, he became a general staff officer and was later promoted to brigadier general. As a military expert, he was a member of the Czechoslovak delegation at the World Disarmament Conference in Geneva. In 1936, he was promoted to general of division (the second-highest army rank) and became commander of the Vth Army Corps, in Trenčín. During the Second Czechoslovak Republic
The Second Czechoslovak Republic ( cs, Druhá československá republika, sk, Druhá česko-slovenská republika) existed for 169 days, between 30 September 1938 and 15 March 1939. It was composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and ...
, he was appointed as minister of transportation and a member of the Supreme State Defence Council of Czechoslovakia.
Prime minister
Appointment
The first government under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia; cs, Protektorát Čechy a Morava; its territory was called by the Nazis ("the rest of Czechia"). was a partially annexed territory of Nazi Germany established on 16 March 1939 following the German oc ...
of Premier Rudolf Beran
Rudolf Beran (28 December 1887, in Pracejovice, Strakonice District – 23 April 1954, in Leopoldov Prison) was a Czechoslovak politician who served as prime minister of the country before its occupation by Nazi Germany and shortly thereafter, be ...
was only provisional as Beran had served as the last premier of the Second Czechoslovak Republic
The Second Czechoslovak Republic ( cs, Druhá československá republika, sk, Druhá česko-slovenská republika) existed for 169 days, between 30 September 1938 and 15 March 1939. It was composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and ...
. Its replacement was discussed at the end of April 1939, with President Emil Hácha
Emil Dominik Josef Hácha (12 July 1872 – 27 June 1945) was a Czech lawyer, the president of Czechoslovakia from November 1938 to March 1939. In March 1939, after the breakup of Czechoslovakia, Hácha was the nominal president of the newly pro ...
thinking Alois Eliáš would be a good choice for prime minister because the popularity that he had acquired during his earlier military career would legitimise the puppet regime. Although somewhat dubious, some historians have written that Hácha hoped that Eliáš's former contacts with Reichsprotektor
This is a list of rulers of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which from 15 March 1939 until 5 May 1945 comprised the German- occupied parts of Czechoslovakia. It includes both the representatives of the recognized Czech authorities as w ...
Konstantin von Neurath
Konstantin Hermann Karl Freiherr von Neurath (2 February 1873 – 14 August 1956) was a German diplomat and Nazi war criminal who served as Foreign Minister of Germany between 1932 and 1938.
Born to a Swabian noble family, Neurath began his di ...
could influence the Reichsprotektor on the desirability of Eliáš as prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
.
Activities
On 25 March 1939, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
in a speech to all of the various state secretaries held at the Reich Ministry of the Interior stated that Jews should be "excluded" from the public life of the protectorate, but that this was "not the direct responsibility of the ''Reich''" as the "Jewish question" in the protectorate would "develop on its own accord" with no involvement from the Germans. Upon being appointed premier by President Hácha on 27 April 1939, Eliáš was ordered to "intensely" prepare a set of anti-Semitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
laws for the protectorate.[Rothkirchen (1999).] Hácha believed it was desirable for the Czech government to introduce anti-Semitic laws on its own both to prove its loyalty to the ''Reich'' and to ensure that the assets owned by the Czech Jewish community, which were worth 20 billion crowns, be transferred over to Czechs rather than the Germans.[
On 11 May 1939, Eliáš proposed to the ''Reichsprotektor'', Neurath that Jews would be deprived of Protectorate citizenship and subject to various discriminatory measures.][Gruner (2015), pp. 108–109.] Under Eliáš's draft, Jews were to be completely excluded from the arts, education, the civil service, the courts, the corporations, and medicine. Notably, Eliáš in his draft defined Jewishness in terms of religion rather than race, and German officials objected to Eliáš's draft as far too moderate for their liking, complaining that there were too many loopholes and that any Jew could easily escape the measures by converting to Christianity. The Israeli historian Livia Rothkirchen
Livia Rothkirchen (1922 – March 2013) was a Czechoslovak-born Israeli historian and archivist. She was the author of several books about the Holocaust, including ''The Destruction of Slovak Jewry'' (1961), the first authoritative description o ...
wrote that Eliáš was an active Free Mason known for his Czech nationalism, and there is no evidence that he personally ascribed to anti-Semitism.[ On 21 June 1939, Neurath vetoed Eliáš's draft and instead imposed the Nuremberg Laws onto the Protectorate. In the same degree, Neurath gave himself exclusive authority on the question of " Aryanisation" in the protectorate. Eliáš submitted to Neurath a list of 1, 000 Czech Jews who had made notable contributions to public life, and asked the ''Reichsprotektor'' to give them exemptions from the anti-Semitic laws.][ Instead, Neurath vetoed every single name of the list.][
Eliáš maintained contacts with the ]Czechoslovak government-in-exile
The Czechoslovak government-in-exile, sometimes styled officially as the Provisional Government of Czechoslovakia ( cz, Prozatímní vláda Československa, sk, Dočasná vláda Československa), was an informal title conferred upon the Czechos ...
, led by President Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...
. Eliáš's primary form of resistance was to encourage former soldiers and airmen of the Czechoslovak Army and Air Force to make their way to France or Britain to enlist in the Free Czechoslovak forces, which he assisted by issuing them with false papers that allowed them to travel abroad. In the summer of 1939, Eliáš began to exfiltrate former members of the Czechoslovak military to make their way to France while contacting the Czechoslovak National Committee.[ Eliáš corresponded with General ]František Moravec
František Moravec CBE (23 July 1895 – 26 July 1966) was the chief Czechoslovak military intelligence officer before and during World War II. He moved to the United States after the war.
Biography
In 1915, Moravec was drafted into Austro- ...
, the intelligence chief and then with President Beneš himself.[ One of the couriers for Eliáš was the American diplomat ]George F. Kennan
George Frost Kennan (February 16, 1904 – March 17, 2005) was an American diplomat and historian. He was best known as an advocate of a policy of containment of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. He lectured widely and wrote scholarly hist ...
, who was stationed at the American consulate in Prague.[ Kennan enjoyed diplomatic immunity, ensuring he could not be searched or arrested. Kennan later described Eliáš as like a character from the popular novel '']The Good Soldier Švejk
''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary ...
'', writing that Eliáš had "...a boggling willingness to comply with any and all demands and an equally baffling ability to execute them in such a way that the effect is quite different from that contemplated by those who did the commanding."[ Jaromír Smutný, an aide to Beneš, recorded that Beneš had stated in a letter to Eliáš that "pro-German activities at home are most harmful".][
In October-November 1939, students attending ]Charles University
)
, image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg
, image_size = 200px
, established =
, type = Public, Ancient
, budget = 8.9 billion CZK
, rector = Milena Králíčková
, faculty = 4,057
, administrative_staff = 4,026
, students = 51,438
, under ...
in Prague protested against the occupation, leading to Neurath to close all Czech language universities, deport a number of the students to concentration camps while having the leaders of the protests shot without trial. On 2 December 1939, Higher SS Police Leader Karl Hermann Frank
Karl Hermann Frank (24 January 1898 – 22 May 1946) was a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia prior to and during World War II. Attaining the rank of '' Obergruppenführer'', he was in command of th ...
gave a speech in the Old Town Square of Prague condemning the student protests and warned "The Czech government and the Czech leaders should abandon all ambiguity and double-talk."[ The demand that Eliáš condemn the student protests caused him much anguish, leading him to go to a sanatorium for the next few days as he pondered what to do.][ On 8 December 1939, Eliáš called a press conference with the German Press Bureau, where he stated "the only representative of the Czech people was the Protectorate government" and that his relations with Beneš were "clearly negative".][ Eliáš called for Germans and Czechs to work together in the war effort, which was in effect a repudiation of the students.][ The same day, Eliáš sent a message to Beneš declaring his loyalty to the government-in-exile and asked for his ''a priori'' consent "in such opportunistic political moves" on his part which would help with "evading national or economic disaster."][
Eliáš's situation started to deteriorate after a wave of arrests of resistance members in 1940. Among his close contacts, the government minister fled to London. The Lord Mayor of Prague, , who was well informed about Eliáš's activities in support of families of exiled and arrested Czechs and secret messengers and contacts with Beneš in exile, was arrested and later executed.] By January 1941, the Gestapo had accumulated damning evidence of Eliáš's involvement in the resistance. SS and Police Leader Karl Hermann Frank
Karl Hermann Frank (24 January 1898 – 22 May 1946) was a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia prior to and during World War II. Attaining the rank of '' Obergruppenführer'', he was in command of th ...
called for his arrest but was unsuccessful in having Eliáš removed. By this point, Eliáš himself was planning to going to Belgrade and from there to flee to Britain.[ The ]invasion of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was ...
on 6 April 1941 put an end to these plans.[
After the invasion of the Soviet Union, code name ]Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...
, was launched on 22 June 1941, there was an increase in resistance in the protectorate, mostly in the form of sabotage of weapons meant for the Wehrmacht.[ Eliáš started to meet in public in various parks and cemeteries with Milan Reiman, a courier for the Central Committee of the illegal Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.][
On 26 July 1941, Beneš sent a message from London that ordered Eliáš and the rest of his cabinet to resign as Beneš wrote "Let them create a Quisling government" and "Let them abolish the Protectorate, it would be all the same."][ In his last message to Beneš on 7 August 1941 Eliáš refused to resign, but promised that he would resign "in case the Germans would try to impose new burdens, unbearable to the nation."][
]
The sandwich affair
In early September 1941, Eliáš lost patience with several collaborationist journalists. Eliáš officially invited them to the Office of the Government and planned to poison them. With the help of his urologist
Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...
, Miloš Klika, sandwiches were laced with botulism toxin
Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neurom ...
, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
-causing Mycobacterium tuberculosis
''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (M. tb) is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, ''M. tuberculosis'' has an unusual, waxy coating on it ...
, and typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
-causing Rickettsia
''Rickettsia'' is a genus of nonmotile, gram-negative, nonspore-forming, highly pleomorphic bacteria that may occur in the forms of cocci (0.1 μm in diameter), bacilli (1–4 μm long), or threads (up to about 10 μm long). The term "ricke ...
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...
. On 18 September 1941, the invited journalists ate the poisoned sandwiches. Karel Lažnovský, the pro-Nazi editor of the journal '' České slovo'', was the only fatality.[ Other journalists, including Jaroslav Křemen and Emanuel Vajtauer, fell ill.
Although Eliáš handled the sandwiches, he did not fall ill. Though the Sandwich Affair was investigated by the Gestapo, Eliáš was not charged and remained in office.
]
Arrest and execution
On 27 September 1941, two days before the appointment of Heydrich as the new ''Reichsprotektor'', Eliáš was arrested, put on trial and sentenced to death. At his trial, Eliáš speaking in the third person stated: "... he liášfound himself in a dilemma while having to choose between the moral imperative of humanity
Humanity most commonly refers to:
* Humankind the total population of humans
* Humanity (virtue)
Humanity may also refer to:
Literature
* ''Humanity'' (journal), an academic journal that focuses on human rights
* ''Humanity: A Moral History of t ...
'Menschlichkeit''and the interests of the ''Reich''. He thus decided to harm the ''Reich''".[ While awaiting his execution, Eliáš had a letter smuggled out of the prison to his wife that declared: "''Zvítězíme!''" ("We shall prevail!" )][ Eliáš was executed at the ]Kobylisy Shooting Range
Kobylisy Shooting Range () is a former military shooting range located in Kobylisy, a northern suburb of Prague, Czech Republic.
The shooting range was established in 1889–1891, on a site that was at the time far outside the city, as a tra ...
on 19 June 1942. During Eliáš's time on death row, Heydrich was assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
by the Czechoslovak resistance.
Legacy
Over 60 years later, Eliáš was given a state funeral with full honours on 7 May 2006 and was buried at the National Monument in Vitkov
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
, Prague.
The Czech philosopher Jiří Přibáň and the Czech journalist argued that in the Czech memory of the past, there is a tendency to focus more on the Czechs as the victims of others rather than as actors in the story of their history. Přibáň and Hvíždala wrote that in the Czech memory of World War Two, the defining episode was the Lidice massacre
The Lidice massacre was the complete destruction of the village of Lidice in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, now the Czech Republic, in June 1942 on orders from Adolf Hitler and the successor of the '' Reichsführer-SS'' Heinrich Himml ...
of June 1942 while the story of Eliáš tends by contrast to be neglected. Přibáň and Hvíždala maintained that Eliáš showed extraordinary courage and managed to lessen at least some of the burden of the occupation, but that his story is neglected because while "...the Czech nation has heroes, but it is not so fond of them because it prefers victims".
References
Bibliography
*
*
* Kvaček, Robert, 2002. Czech History: Part Two �eské dějiny II Prague, CZ: SPL-Práce, Úvaly, CZ: Albra.
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Biography of Alois Eliáš
Members of government led by Eliáš, 27.4.1939 - 19.1.1942
- record of direct transmission
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elias, Alois
1890 births
1942 deaths
Politicians from Prague
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
Prime Ministers of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Czechoslovak soldiers
Executed prime ministers
Czech people executed by Nazi Germany
Executed Czechoslovak people
Czech generals
Recipients of the Order of the White Lion
Executed military leaders
People executed at Kobylisy shooting range
Czech resistance members
National Partnership politicians