Jean-Philippe Namont's publication brings for the first time a comprehensive account of the history of the Czechoslovak Colony. Namont traces the formation of the Czechoslovak community in France from the 19th century and reconstructs the fascinating story of the rise of Czech tailors, furriers, painters, and laborers, whose unified action in October 1914 and the creation of the Na Zdar company marks a significant milestone on the path of the Czech nation to independence. After the heroic rise of the Colony at the beginning of World War I, the author focuses on the formation of social structures and the practical aspects of emigration, as well as the reaction of the French population to immigration from Central Europe. The book depicts emigration and life in emigration from the perspective of ordinary people, describing the largest Czech and Slovak centers in France, the fates of emigrants, and their political sympathies.
