Authors

Discussion

After the First World War, Prague became the capital of the newly established Czechoslovakia. This transformation brought not only new state institutions but also a significant influx of inhabitants, including university students—both newcomers and those returning from military service. The growth of the population led to a housing crisis, which in turn provoked protests. In one petition to the Parliament, students demanded the construction of new dormitories and insisted that their internal administration should be organized “in the most modern way,” meaning with student participation in decision-making.

New dormitories were indeed established, and with them student self-governments emerged, exercising varying degrees of influence over daily operations. In some cases, such as the Masaryk Dormitory and the Student Colony at Letná, residents gradually secured substantial control over administration. These institutions, however, were intended primarily for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Students were required to support themselves through part-time employment, maintain satisfactory academic performance, and at the same time participate in dormitory governance. Service in self-government demanded sacrifices of study time, leisure, and even health, yet students valued these bodies highly and were prepared to defend them vigorously.

At Masaryk Dormitory, for instance, when conflicts arose with non-student members of administration, most residents were willing to risk their studies and future careers to preserve self-government. For them, self-government represented not only a democratic element within the dormitory but also a form of civic education, training them to become better democratic citizens of the new republic. They linked their activism to the ideals of President Tomáš G. Masaryk, especially his concept of “small everyday work” (drobné práce), which emphasized conscientious effort in one’s immediate environment. When carried out by every citizen and in every sphere of public life, such work was expected to elevate the moral and civic level of the entire republic.

Through the examples of the Letná and Masaryk dormitories in the 1920s, this paper will demonstrate how students understood self-government not merely as a practical necessity but as a realization of democracy in everyday life, embodying the values of the First Czechoslovak Republic and shaping the identity of its future citizens.