August 15, 1918 – Czechoslovakia Declared an Allied Power
Pictured – Rallying to the flag.
Britian formerly recognized Czechoslovakia as an independent Allied power in August 1918, followed by the US and France later in the war. Although there was no existing Czechoslovakian state – the Austro-Hungarian Empire continued to rule from Bohemia to the Carpathians – there was a Czech National Council that existed as a shadow government, and the Czech Legion was seen as a regular army fighting against the Central Powers in Russia. The Allies hoped that recognizing Czech independence would foment revolution in Austria and speed the Dual Monarchy’s collapse.
