Abstrakt
The article explores the American-Czecho-Slovak "Encounters" in the eve of and during the First World War. It addresses the question of how the image of the “other” was constructed – the American sense of Czechs and Slovaks and vice versa, the two immigrant groups` vision of “America”.
I present the “other” not only as an enemy, but above all as a model to follow. Also, I touch upon the issue how the Czech and Slovak communities in the USA built an image of their native homeland.Further, the paper will tackle the issue of constructing the charismatic image of W.
Wilson and T. G.
Masaryk. Therefore, it involves the application of the concept of charisma and leadership, elaborated and introduced by the German sociologist M.
Weber. My research topic relies mainly on American, Czech and Slovak periodicals, published in the USA.