Hrad
Encyclopedia
The word hrad is the Czech
and Slovak
word for castle and is commonly used as a part of castle name, e.g. Pražský hrad (Prague Castle
), Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle
), or Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle
).
.
The first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Masaryk
, had very limited formal powers, such as representing the country abroad, declaring war, making peace and naming ambassadors. Masaryk wished to implement the American model of a strong presidency, and used his considerable informal authority to obtain more power (e.g. to recall government ministers) and to set up a more-or-less independent political structure centered around himself.
The common term used for this structure was "the group of the Castle", or skupina okolo Hradu in Czech, meaning the Prague Castle
, the official seat of the president. The term Hrad (capitalized) was coined by the media and used as a slur by political opponents.
Hrad included organizations such as Czechoslovak Unity of Legionnaires (Československá obec legionářů - soldiers from the Czechoslovak Legions
), Legiobanka (a large bank), the Czechoslovak Hussite Church
which Masaryk helped to establish, individual entrepreneurs, politicians from several parties and influential journalists like Ferdinand Peroutka
and Karel Čapek
). The group had significant monetary resources available and kept an informal intelligence network. In 1925 they established a new political party (mockingly nicknamed "the party of the Castle, Hradní strana) but it failed in 1925 parliamentary elections and dissolved five years later.
The next president, Edvard Beneš
, tried to follow the direction set by Masaryk and kept Hrad above and outside political parties. After the communist takeover of power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the real center of power moved to the Central Committee of the Party
and to Moscow
.
After the Communist party fell from power
in 1989, the new president Václav Havel
tried to use his influence to retain his powers against the rising influence of political parties. His effort failed and Havel's role eventually became mostly ceremonial. The term Hrad had occasionally appeared again in Czech media to label the political movements, parties and individuals centered around Havel. Since they were unsuccessful the term was invariably meant as a mockery.
Since the end of World War II
Czech historians have used the term in works about politics of prewar Czechoslovakia.
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
and Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
word for castle and is commonly used as a part of castle name, e.g. Pražský hrad (Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
), Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle
Spiš Castle
The ruins of Spiš Castle in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš...
), or Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on a quite isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube river in the middle of Bratislava...
).
Hrad (politics)
When capitalized, the term Hrad is used as shorthand for the political groups that were centered around the President of Czechoslovakia, and later President of the Czech RepublicPresident of the Czech Republic
The President of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic. Unlike his counterparts in Austria and Hungary, who are generally considered figureheads, the Czech President has a considerable role in political affairs...
.
The first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Masaryk
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk , sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak politician, sociologist and philosopher, who as an eager advocate of Czechoslovak independence during World War I became the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, also was...
, had very limited formal powers, such as representing the country abroad, declaring war, making peace and naming ambassadors. Masaryk wished to implement the American model of a strong presidency, and used his considerable informal authority to obtain more power (e.g. to recall government ministers) and to set up a more-or-less independent political structure centered around himself.
The common term used for this structure was "the group of the Castle", or skupina okolo Hradu in Czech, meaning the Prague Castle
Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...
, the official seat of the president. The term Hrad (capitalized) was coined by the media and used as a slur by political opponents.
Hrad included organizations such as Czechoslovak Unity of Legionnaires (Československá obec legionářů - soldiers from the Czechoslovak Legions
Czechoslovak Legions
The Czechoslovak Legions were volunteer armed forces composed predominantly of Czechs and Slovaks fighting together with the Entente powers during World War I...
), Legiobanka (a large bank), the Czechoslovak Hussite Church
Czechoslovak Hussite Church
The Czechoslovak Hussite Church is a Christian Church which separated from the Roman Catholic Church after World War I in former Czechoslovakia. It traces its tradition back to the Hussite reformers and acknowledges Jan Hus as its predecessor...
which Masaryk helped to establish, individual entrepreneurs, politicians from several parties and influential journalists like Ferdinand Peroutka
Ferdinand Peroutka
Ferdinand Peroutka was a Czech journalist and writer.-Life:Peroutka was born to a Czech-German family in Prague in 1895. In 1913 he began his career as a journalist. After World War I, he became a editor-in-chief of a new newspaper Tribuna...
and Karel Čapek
Karel Capek
Karel Čapek was Czech writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Born in 1890 in the Bohemian mountain village of Malé Svatoňovice to an overbearing, emotional mother and a distant yet adored father, Čapek was the youngest of three siblings...
). The group had significant monetary resources available and kept an informal intelligence network. In 1925 they established a new political party (mockingly nicknamed "the party of the Castle, Hradní strana) but it failed in 1925 parliamentary elections and dissolved five years later.
The next president, Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
, tried to follow the direction set by Masaryk and kept Hrad above and outside political parties. After the communist takeover of power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the real center of power moved to the Central Committee of the Party
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
and to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
After the Communist party fell from power
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1989, the new president Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
tried to use his influence to retain his powers against the rising influence of political parties. His effort failed and Havel's role eventually became mostly ceremonial. The term Hrad had occasionally appeared again in Czech media to label the political movements, parties and individuals centered around Havel. Since they were unsuccessful the term was invariably meant as a mockery.
Since the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Czech historians have used the term in works about politics of prewar Czechoslovakia.
External links
- Overview of political structures in prewar Czechoslovakia (in Czech, PDF file)