In the specific period and environment of the First Republic, however, one can also find other complex factors influencing the biblical citations, such as the specific intertwining of state ideology and support for the development of the Czechoslovak Church (since 1971 also called the Czechoslovak Hussite Church) and the attempts of Roman Catholics to navigate new paths in a democratic society after the collapse of Austria-Hungary. Using the example of the once dominant Roman Catholic Church, it is possible to perceive the complexity of the period, which was expressed in the periodical press. Since the Roman Catholic Church was originally closely linked to the ruling elite of the Austria-Hungary monarchy and the conservative attitudes of Rome, the Church and its faithful floundered somewhat in a modern democracy. The existential confrontation with the horrors of the recent world war, which shook the worldviews and beliefs of many of the devout, whatever their faith, the schism with the newly fashioned concept of the Czechoslovak democratic state, and a general dissension with the anti-modernist attitudes of the Roman Catholic centre – all these, among other factors, contributed to reduced numbers of priests and declining support for the Roman Catholic Church during the 1920s. This did not apply to the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, which had the support of the state’s top political representatives and thus became stronger. During the 1930s, however, there was a temporary reconciliation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Czechoslovak elites, as well as the church’s gradual stabilisation, thanks to the overall political situation as well as an internal revival. In Moravia and the Sudetenland, however, developments followed a partially different path, which may have had an impact on the literature of these regions. In areas beyond Czech-language periodicals (where we focus our research), such as in Slovakia, the Roman Catholic Church played an important role in supporting the autonomist forces which, in cooperation with Nazi Germany, would subsequently lead to the dissolution of the Republic.
In the complex environment of the national composition of the Czechoslovak Republic, the centrifugal tendencies of the linguistic minorities from the original multiethnic state of Austria-Hungary, coloured by different cultural, religious, political, and economic backgrounds, were also on the rise. This was also a time when the importance of communism and far-right nationalist parties was increasing. We mention these characteristics in passing mainly because they allow us to outline the complexity of the overall social situation of the First Republic.
