Milan Rastislav Štefánik was a Slovak politician, diplomat, and astronomer. During World War I, he served as a General in the French Army and, at the same time, as the Czechoslovak Minister of War. As one of the leading members of the Czechoslovak National Council (i.e. resistance government), he contributed decisively to the cause of Czechoslovak sovereignty. (The status of Czech– and Slovak-populated territories, among others, was in question until shortly before the disintegration of Austria-Hungary in 1918.)
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