Maffia

Maffia
Maffie Participant in World War I
Logo of Maffia
Active	1914–1918
Ideology	collaboration, espionage, subversion, separatism
Leaders	Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Edvard Beneš Karel Kramář Milan Rastislav Štefánik
Headquarters	Paris
Area of operations	Bohemia  Moravia  Silesia  Hungary  Poland
Strength	over 200 members
Allies	Allied Powers Czechoslovak National Council Czechoslovak Legion
Opponents	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 Thomas 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 central part of the First Czechoslovak Resistance and its main objective was to overthrow the Emperor of Austria and 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.) and Edvard Beneš escaped from Austria-Hungary to Switzerland, 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 aboard (US, Italy etc.).