PhD Candidate (2019-2023 [expected])
Lecturer
PAVEL kREJCI
BA, MA History, MA Law Charles University
Pavel Krejčí is a historian specializing in modern European history, with a particular focus on its diplomatic, military, and intellectual aspects. His research examines the crisis of nineteenth-century liberalism in Europe and the subsequent search for new models of social constellations capable of withstanding the challenges of the twentieth century. His main research period spans from 1848 to 1948. Pavel investigates the symptoms of malaise within nineteenth-century liberal society and analyzes the political, social, and intellectual responses to this crisis. Pavel also explores the engagement of Czechoslovak soldiers who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.
RESEARCH
Pavel’s current primary project explores the transformative shift in Czechoslovak society, transitioning from the Western Liberalism of the interwar era to post-war Socialism. This project aims to uncover the reasons behind the popularity of socialism in post-war Czechoslovakia, tracing its roots to the philosophical framework of Czech history formulated by František Palacký (1798-1876), one of the first modern Czech historians. In addition to this primary research project, Mr. Krejčí investigates the fates of Czechoslovaks who migrated to Hong Kong during the interwar period as employees of the Baťa shoe company. Before the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, these Czechoslovaks volunteered for service in the Hong Kong Defence Volunteer Corps and fought in the Battle of Hong Kong in 1941.
Research Interests
- Modern European History (Twentieth century)
- Modern Czechoslovak History (1918-1992)
- Colonial Appeasement
- Global Intellectual History
- Business History
PUBLICATIONS
Articles
“Czechoslovak Realpolitik and the Second World War: Czechoslovakia between East and West?”, Contemporary European History (Under Review)
Ladislav Břežný
– Short biography of a Baťaman fighitng in the Battle of Hong Kong (1941)
– Published online: https://bit.ly/3wqWaFO
‘From Shoemakers to Brothers in Arms’
- Public talk for the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence
Available online: https://shorturl.at/jkvU5
