The Republican Party of Agricultural and Smallholder People (In Czech, Republikánská strana zemědělského a malorolnického lidu - RSZML) was an agrarian party

Agrarianism

Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values...

 of Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

, seen as representing big business and agriculture.

Names of the Party

• Founded has Czech-Slavic Agrarian Party (Českoslovanská strana agrární) in 1905 has a result of the fusion of the Czech Agrarian Party (Česká strana agrární), founded in 1899 in Bohemia and the Czech Agrarian Party for Moravia and Silesia (Česká strana agrární pro Moravu a Slezsko, 1904
• Republican Party of Czechoslovak Countryside (Republikánská strana československého venkova, 1919)
• Republican Party of Agricultural and Smallholder People (Republikánská strana zemědělského a malorolnického lidu, 1922), due to inclusion of the Slovak National and Peasant Party (Slovenská národná a rolnická strana)

Usually called in daily political life Agrarians (agrárníci).

History

In the period up to 1932 it was the biggest political party in the country. Led by Antonín Švehla

Antonín Švehla

Antonín Švehla was a Czechoslovakian politician. He served three terms as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. He is regarded as one of the most important political figures of the First Czechoslovak Republic; he was the leader of the Agrarian Party, which was dominant within the Pětka, which was...

 and Milan Hodža

Milan Hodža

Milan Hodža was a prominent Slovak politician and journalist, serving from 1935 to 1938 as the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia and in December 1935 as the acting President of Czechoslovakia...

, the party influenced Czechoslovak politics between World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Participate in the Pětka

Petka

Petka may refer to:* Pětka or Committee of Five, a Czechoslovak organization* Saint Petka, an ascetic female saint from the Eastern Roman Empire* Petka , a village in Serbia* Petka, Belgrade, a suburb of Lazarevac, Belgrade, Serbia...

 coalition governments. Member of the International Agrarian Bureau

International Agrarian Bureau

The International Agrarian Bureau was founded in 1921 by the Agrarian parties of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Croatia, and Poland growing to 17 political parties in Eastern Europe by 1928. It was sometimes referred to as the "first Green International". The Bureau was a key competitor with the Red...

.

In 1925 it introduced an agrarian tariff which was seen as protecting the producers interest, motivated by the country's agrarian crisis. It is argued that it helped the Hungarians more than it did the Slovaks. Prime Minister Udrzal

František Udržal

František Udržal was a Czechoslovakian politician.A member and leader of the powerful Agrarian Party, his political career started as member of the local parliament of Bohemia, then of parliament of Austria-Hungary, then of parliament of Czechoslovakia...

 was a member of the party, but he lost its support, which meant that he failed to hold his coalition together. Internal struggles within the party grew and the coalition government failed in July 1932.

Other important where: Josef Žďářský (Party President 1905-1909), Jan Černý

Jan Cerný

Jan Černý was a Czechoslovakian civil servant and politician. He was the prime minister of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1921 and in 1926.-External links:...

 (Primer Minister 1920-1921, 1926), Antonín Švehla

Antonín Švehla

Antonín Švehla was a Czechoslovakian politician. He served three terms as the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. He is regarded as one of the most important political figures of the First Czechoslovak Republic; he was the leader of the Agrarian Party, which was dominant within the Pětka, which was...

 (Party President 1909-1933 and Prime Minister 1922-1926, 1926-1929), František Udržal

František Udržal

František Udržal was a Czechoslovakian politician.A member and leader of the powerful Agrarian Party, his political career started as member of the local parliament of Bohemia, then of parliament of Austria-Hungary, then of parliament of Czechoslovakia...

 ((Primer Minister 1929-1932), Jan Malypetr

Jan Malypetr

Jan Malypetr was a Czechoslovakian politician.A member of the Agrarian Party, he was Minister of Interior, and Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies from 17 December 1925 to 29 October 1932 and from 5 November 1935 to 1939.Additionally, he served three terms as prime minister of Czechoslovakia:* 29...

 (Primer Minister 1932-1935) and Milan Hodža (Primer Minister 1935-1938) and Rudolf Beran

Rudolf Beran

Rudolf Beran was a Czechoslovakian politician who served as prime minister of the country before its occupation by Nazi Germany and shortly thereafter, before it was declared a protectorate...

(Party President 1935-1938 and Prime Minister 1938-1939).