Alois Rašín: The Overlooked Politician in T. G. Masaryk’s Shadow

Assassination: This unusual term is frequently associated with significant events in history, particularly the death of the heir to the throne, Francis Ferdinand d’Este in Sarajevo in 1914 or the assassination of the despised Nazi official, Acting Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich, in 1942. Among various accounts of assassinations in 20th-century Czech history, which you can explore at Where to get out of boredom, the killing of Minister of Finance Alois Rašín on January 5, 1923 holds special significance. It was not only the only assassination of a high-ranking constitutional official in our history, but also the first successful assassination in the young Czechoslovakia. However, it wasn’t the first assassination attempt overall; that distinction belonged to Prime Minister Karel Kramář.
Uncover the clues that Rašín left behind in Prague and in Czech statehood by checking out Which way out of boredom.

Rašín’s death

The event occurred around 9:00 AM on January 5, 1923, when leading Czech politician and Minister of Finance Alois Rašín was leaving his apartment at 10 Rye Street in Prague. Eyewitnesses reported hearing two quick gunshots; one bullet struck Rašín in the spine, injuring his spinal cord. Despite being paralyzed, he fought for his life for several weeks in a hospital in Podolí. Unfortunately, despite receiving extensive medical treatment, he did not survive the attack and passed away a few weeks later on February 18.

The assassin was a young leftist radical named Josef Šoupal, barely twenty years old at the time, who worked at an insurance company and came from Havlíčkův Brod. It was later found out that he had tried to kill Rašín in December, but had failed. In his interrogation, he claimed that he wanted to eliminate what he saw as symbols of capitalism. Rašín’s financial policies had been beneficial for the young Czechoslovakia, but they adversely affected the poorer segments of society, who were already struggling due to the aftermath of the war.

Rašín was largely disliked by the public and faced continuous criticism from the media due to rising unemployment and various other issues, while he also faced doubts from President Tomas Garrigue Masaryk. The Communist propaganda painted Rašín as the people’s main antagonist, pushing Josef Šoupal to take action. At the time, Šoupal was considered underage by legal standards, which is why he received only eighteen years in a high-security prison instead of the death penalty. He served his sentence in Kartouzi near Jičín, but earned two additional years for bad behavior. During the Protectorate, he was released, changed his name to Ilja Pravda (the alternative name Ilya Dneprostroy was rejected by authorities), and passed away in 1959.

Why should we know Alois Rašín?

Alois Rašín was born on October 18, 1867, in Nechanice. He was the most talented of nine children born to a baker and a farmer, and he attended grammar schools in Nový Bydžov, Broumov, and Hradec Králové. While in university, he became involved in politics, and he graduated with a law degree in 1891. In 1894, he was convicted in a case associated with the so-called Omladina and imprisoned in Pilsen-Borech. However, he was amnestied a year later and reinstated his law degree. During World War I, he lost this degree again because he joined the anti-Austrian resistance, was arrested on charges of treason, and faced a death sentence. He was released due to an amnesty granted after the death of Franz Joseph I. and the ascension of Emperor Charles I.—upon his return from prison, his Doctor of Laws degree was restored once more.

True to his character, Rašín quickly dove back into politics; he was among the men of October 28, the ones who declared the establishment of the Republic and the first Czechoslovak law, which he personally shaped, at the Municipal House in Prague. Serving as Minister of Finance in the first Švehl government of the new republic, appointed on November 14, 1918, he aimed to stabilize the economy of Czechoslovakia. However, he had limited time; when the left won the first parliamentary elections in 1920, Rašín had to step down, only to return as finance minister in October 1922. Unfortunately, he could only adhere to the guiding principle that “The welfare of the republic shall be the supreme law” for a few short weeks…

What reminds us of Alois Rašín?

• • At Rye 10 in Prague 2, there’s a memorial plaque on the building where Alois Rašín lived and was shot.

• • In Prague, a part of the Vltava riverbank carries Rašín’s name, and several streets in various cities are named after him.

• • Alois Rašín is laid to rest in Prague-Dejvice at Šárka Cemetery near St. Matthias Church. His death also triggered the often-disliked Protection of the Republic Act, which had been waiting for some time to be enacted.

• • Alois Rašín married Karla Janská in September 1899. Does her name ring a bell? It’s not surprising; her brother was John Jansky, who later discovered blood groups.

• • A 20-crown note from 1926 features Rašín on one side and Milan Rastislav Štefánik on the other. In autumn 2017, the Czech National Bank announced a contest to create a new 100-crown note, which featured Rašín this time. However, this new bill did not replace the existing 100 CZK bill; it was just a special edition to honor 100 years of Czechoslovak currency.

• • You can trace the footsteps of Alois Rašín through Prague by joining one of the homeland walks through the city.

• • It’s also worth mentioning that the first Czechoslovak government was located at Prague Castle; however, the Ministry of Finance was not based in Letná but in the Clam-Gallas Palace in the Old Town. The National Assembly was situated where the present Rudolfinum stands, and Alois Rašín’s law office was located at Křemencova 1. The famous U Fleků brewery is just a short walk away from there along the same street.