Legislative formalization of socio-economic protection and support for legionnaires in the First Czechoslovak Republic. Ideas and problems of implementation
Authors: Salnikov E. 
Published: December 2024

Importance. The study is relevant due to the necessity of examining Czechoslovakia’s experience in legislation aimed at social and economical protection and support of legionnaires who returned home, which has been insufficiently studied in the domestic historiography. A number of laws addressed several socially important aspects of the lives of legionnaires and their families, providing them with benefits, allowances, and separate jobs. Nevertheless, these laws, due to a number of factors, were not fully implemented. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the legionary legislation, to examine its individual aspects, to assess the degree of implementation of these laws, a nd to analyses the position o f the a uthorities in this matter, e specially the Minister of Finance. The results obtained in the course of this study will be relevant for the development of draft laws aimed at solving the social and economic problems of the participants, veterans and disabled veterans of the Special Military Operation and their families.Materials and Methods. In studying the draft laws of the First Czechoslovak Republic, the method of analyzing legal acts is used. The materials from the Wolters Kluwer legislative database are also used.Results and Discussion. In the early years of its existence, the First Czechoslovak Republic passed a number of laws aimed at ensuring the special position of the legionnaires, which became the basis for the further adoption of social and economic laws aimed at solving their economic and social problems. The fundamental laws were No. 462 and No. 282. They specified criteria for legionary status, preferential treatment in employment, both in public institutions and private enterprises In addition, other laws gave legionaries preferential treatment in the civil service, favorable loans for merchants and entrepreneurs, priority in land distribution during the land reform, etc. However, it became apparent almost immediately that these laws did not provide for all the needs of the Legionnaires and were insufficient to help. In addition, some of the paragraphs did not work correctly. For example, a legionary could face too high educational requirements when applying for a place reserved for him. In addition, some of the paragraphs did not work properly. For example, a legionary could face too high educational requirements when applying for a place reserved for him. Nevertheless, the government tried to help legionaries despite the economic difficulties in the world, unlike hundreds of thousands of veterans of the Austro-Hungarian army and “unofficial” legionaries ( who c ould n ot c onfirm t heir s tatus o n t he b asis o f Law N o. 4 62, o r w ho l ost t his status, for instance, by a court decision), who could rely only on their own strength in a difficult moment.Conclusion. In the first years of First Czechoslovak Republic existence there were laws aimed at social and economic protection and support of legionaries, but due to a number of factors, the assistance was not provided in full and could not always contribute to the improvement of the legionary’s material situation. Nevertheless, the legionaries were in a better economic situation than other groups of former soldiers and officers of the Austro-Hungarian army