Maffia

Maffia
	Maffie Participant in World War I
	Logo of Maffia
Active	1914–1918
Ideology	independence, espionage, subversion, separatism
Leaders	Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk; Edvard Beneš; Karel Kramář; Milan Rastislav Štefánik
Headquarters	Paris
Area of operations	Bohemia; Moravia; Silesia; Hungary; Poland
Size	over 200 members
Allies	Allied Powers; Czechoslovak National Council; Czechoslovak Legion
Opponent(s)	Central Powers; Austria-Hungary

Maffia (Maffie or Mafie in Czech) was a secret organization acting during World War I. It was founded after emigration of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 1914 by Czech politician Edvard Beneš, who later became second president of Czechoslovakia, and others main anti-royalist (Karel Kramář, Alois Rašín, Josef Scheiner and Přemysl Šámal).

Maffia was based on the principles of Sicilian Mafia (name "Maffia"); it was a central part of the First Czechoslovak Resistance and its main objective was to overthrow the Emperor of Austria and the cause the disintegration of his country. Maffia plot against Austria-Hungary and Central Powers was revealed by police in 1915; some members of Maffia (Karel Kramář, Alois Rašín, Vincent Červinka and Josef Zamazal) were arrested and sentenced to death (they were later amnestied by emperor Charles I.); Edvard Beneš escaped from Austria-Hungary to Switzerland in 3 September 1915,[1] but subversive activities of Maffia continued, under the leadership of Přemysl Šámal, until the end of the First World War. Maffia had over 200 members and it was supported from abroad (US, Italy etc.).

References

Preclík, Vratislav. Masaryk a legie (Masaryk and legions), váz. kniha, 219 pages., vydalo nakladatelství Paris Karviná, Žižkova 2379 (734 01 Karviná, Czechia) ve spolupráci s Masarykovým demokratickým hnutím (Masaryk Democratic Movement, Prague), 2019, ISBN 978-80-87173-47-3, pages 10 - 44, 101-102, 124–125, 128, 129, 132, 140–148, 168- 169, 184–190.

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[1] Preclík, Vratislav. Masaryk a legie (Masaryk and legions), váz. kniha, 219 pages., vydalo nakladatelství Paris Karviná, Žižkova 2379 (734 01 Karviná, Czechia) ve spolupráci s Masarykovým demokratickým hnutím (Masaryk Democratic Movement, Prague), 2019, ISBN 978-80-87173-47-3, pages 10 - 44, 101-102, 124–125, 128, 129, 132, 140–148, 168- 169, 184–190.