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Karel Havlicek was born in Borova, Bohemia, a parish of about one thousand inhabitants, October 31, 1821. He came from a devout Catholic family and was destined for the priesthood, but forsook it to take up journalism. Throughout his career he waged war on Clericalism and its influence on the policies and politics of the State.

The most illustrious and eminent Czechoslovak of today, Professor Thomas G. Masaryk, at present the first President of the new Republic of Czechoslovakia, has written an exhaustive book and a biography on Karel Havlicek and his literary and political activities, in which he characterizes him as one of the foremost patriots in the cause of the liberation of the Bohemian—in fact of all Slavic—peoples, which through the persistence of the Czech and Slovak diplomats and statesmen, and with the aid of former President Wilson, culminated in the emancipation and the foundation of one of the most progressive, most prosperous and best governed republics of Central Europe.

The translator has taken advantage of the kind permission of His Excellency, President Masaryk, to use excerpts of his book, as well as those from some of his other books, and lectures which he delivered in 1907 during his stay in the United States. In this preface, for which consent the translator is appreciative, President Masaryk emphasizes how much satisfaction it gave him to speak and write about Havlicek who, according to Professor Masaryk, was Bohemia's first political leader and idealist of his day. Very frequently he recalled to himself and to others how much he learned from the poet. Havlicek’s political aims and hopes were:

Liberal-mindedness, sane and honest politics, faith in progress and democracy, belief in political betterment, universal education, social reform and advancement of the masses. All of this had to be preceded by a revolution of the mind and the hearts of the people—since he believed in revolutionizing Bohemian thought by education rather than by force.