The Czech concept of betrayal as an element of the Munich myth
The Czech concept of betrayal as an element of the Munich myth

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the cultural significance of the “Munich myth”, focusing on the concept of “Western betrayal” and its connotations associated with the idea of destiny and sacrifice. It also examines how the myth influenced the formation of Czech national identity, especially during and shortly after the Second World War. Opening with an analysis of a poem by František Halas written in the midst of the Munich Conference, it also reviews a number of writings which increased the popularity of the ideas of betrayal and sacrifice and, as a result, have made them synonymous with the “Czech fate”: excerpts from the memoirs of Zdeněk Štĕpánek and Edvard Beneš, essays by Karel Kosík and Milan Kundera, and Bedřich Fučík’s literary criticism. The article concludes with a discussion of the key findings of the book Mnichovský komplex (The Munich Complex) by Jan Tesař, a polemic study discrediting and deconstructing the myth of the “Munich betrayal”.

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