Legends Of The Samurai

relationship of the Holy See to the domestic Church and conversely the relationship of domestic Catholic Church representatives to the nunciature and its representatives. Reading Pehr’s and Šebek’s publication, we need to be aware that the Holy See represented the Roman Catholic Church which maintained the position of the strongest confession in Czechoslovakia despite a significant decline of support in 1918. Questions of the church and religion, including relations with Vatican, significantly influenced overall social life in the Czechoslovak state – politics, culture, education, ethnic relations and social and economic conditions. After all, the position of the Czechoslovak People’s Party and its leader Msgre. Jan Šrámek within the Czechoslovak government and its policy, which had anti-Catholic character at times, was not easy in this respect. Chapters dealing with the nomination right to appoint bishops and with the Marmaggi affair are the most beneficial of the entire work, in my opinion. As mentioned above, Michal Pehr’s and Jaroslav Šebek’s monograph represents a successful and truly innovative attempt at the examination of mutual relations between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See in the first decade of the interwar state’s existence. It can certainly be said that the authors filled another blank in the research of this historical period. Nevertheless, there are several things in the book that deserve a clarification or correction. I do not understand why the authors consistently write Gesandschaft instead of the correct Gesandtschaft (both in the text and in the final list of sources and literature); on pages 34 and 35, Vlastimil Kybal is once titled ambassador to Rome and later legate to the same; on page 83, the authors erroneously stated that the Treaty of Trianon was signed on 4th July instead of 4th June; there is also some inconsistency in remarks 510 and 512. However, these are only marginal objections that in no way disparage the quality of the publication. It can therefore be concluded that Michal Pehr’s and Jaroslav Šebek’s monograph meets demanding requirements and certainly deserves attention not only of readers who are experts in the First Republic but also of the lay public.