Illustrated Slovak History

Historický časopis, 2015

Ferenčuhová, B. - Zemko, M. Eds. In interwar Slovakia 1918-1939. Book review by Baka

Sociálne vedy z perspektívy mladých vedeckých pracovníkov V., 2021

The aim of this paper is to disseminate partial results of the project Europe for Citizens / Share EU - Shaping of the European citizenship in the post-totalitarian societies: Reflections after 15 years of EU enlargement. The project focuses on linking the educational process, historical memory and social change 15 years after EU enlargement. Based on 10 in-depth interviews we have examined the transformation of Slovak society since the Velvet Revolution (1989) and joining EU (2004). Respondents were expected to express their views and thoughts of living in Slovak society since two significant milestones. The aim was to find out their subjective evaluations and opinions, without requiring expertise in this topic, however not excluding it. The focus is given to historical background that led to the change of a regime. The transformation to the democratic society resulted into the formation of a new Slovak identity. The historical memory of a nation is a basic premise or part of its identity. Every comprehensive insight into the past must include an explanation of the key factors that influence the formation of human expectations and, in the broadest sense, the processes of formation of civil society. In Slovakia, the transition to personal responsibility is challenging. The era in Slovakia is good for capable and ambitious individuals, but for those who do not have ambitions or talent, it is a difficult time, these are individuals who used to rely on the social security that the state provided them in the past. To become an advanced democratic country, Slovakia needs to be led by people who are able to bring democratic values, ethics, justice, expertise and cooperation to the country’s administration. The result of qualitative research is the creation of a holistic picture of the studied phenomena. The presented research is a comprehensive view of the studied subject areas in Slovakia.

2009

Slovakia in History Until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia's identity seemed inextricably linked with that of the former state. This book explores the key moments and themes in the history of Slovakia from the Duchy of Nitra's ninth-century origins to the establishment of independent Slovakia at midnight 1992-1993. Leading scholars chart the gradual ethnic awakening of the Slovaks during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and examine how Slovak national identity took shape with the codification of standard literary Slovak in 1843 and the subsequent development of the Slovak national movement. They show how, after a thousand years of Magyar-Slovak coexistence, Slovakia became part of the new Czechoslovak state from 1918 to 1939, and shed new light on its role as a Nazi client state as well as on postwar developments leading up to full statehood in the aftermath of the collapse of communism in 1989. There is no comparable book in English on the subject.

"Folia Historica Cracoviensia", 2019

The aim of this article is to show the attitude of Polish interwar literature (political commentary, historiography) towards the role of Slovaks in building the First Czechoslovak Republic and their situation in the state they shared with Czechs. The collected material has been divided into three categories: pro-Hungarian, pro-Czech (pro-Czechoslovak) and pro-Slovak, but the author also notes an interest in Slovakia related to the Slavic studies conducted during the Second Polish Republic. The works discussed in this article attempted to compare the Slovaks’ situation under the Hungarian rule and in Czechoslovakia; to answer the question whether the Czechoslovak nation existed; and to suggest with whom the Polish state should see its future on the international arena (support Hungary’s aspirations to recover Slovakia, establish good relations with Prague, or support the Slovak nationalist movement against Czechs).

The aim of the paper is to analyse the development of Slovak historiography and the Slovak national story from its beginnings until 1948. The most important periods of the national story were identified on the basis of an analysis of the most important Slovak historical works of the period studied. The Slovak case is a typical example whereby a national story has been constructed despite the lack of a relevant state tradition. One of the major concerns of Slovak historiography has been to prove that the Slovaks have a national story which is distinct from those of the Czechs or the Hungarians. The seminal periods in the national story are those where the nation has been shown to be independent or autonomous. The development of views on particular nodal points open to dispute also depends on other factors such as the period, the historian’s aim, and ideological pressure. The aim by 1948 was the creation of an independent Slovak national story although its radical nationalist version was rejected after 1945.

2014

The article deals with the socio – political processes in Slovakia after gaining the independence. The author evaluates the processes from three points of view. First, he analyses the similarities between Slovakia and the states of Central and Eastern Europe. In the second part, he parses the different features distinguishing Slovakia on background of socio – political changes in the region. The last part of the article deals with the Slovak issue from the Polish perspective. The part contains the author ́s own research concerning the image of Slovakia in the main Polish electronic media

Securitas Imperii, 36(1), 2020, pp. 82-122., 2020

The author elaborates on the political development in Slovakia at the end of the 1980s, namely in 1989, which was crucially influenced by a document entitled Bratislava nahlas (Bratislava/Aloud) published by a group of Bratislava‑based environmentalists in 1987, and the so‑called Candlelight Demonstration, which demanded that freedom of religion be respected, organised by the so‑called Christian dissent activists in Bratislava on 25 March 1988. Both events were also a certain momentum for those active in independent initiatives in Bohemia. One other key moment in the consolidation of the opposition was the trial with a group of dissidents from Bratislava, the so‑called Bratislava Five, arrested in August 1989. This paper tries to uncover the factors which made the situation in both parts of the former joint Czechoslovak state similar and how the story of the “fall of the communist regime” in Slovakia differed from that of the Czech lands. It outlines the “lines of conflict” which had a decisive influence on the development of events in the political course. It also analyses how prepared the agents of the November 1989 events were for the political changes, their “politicisation”, but also uncovers specific conflicts that resulted from Slovak‑Hungarian relations and the question of the position of Slovakia within the Czechoslovak federation. The paper tries to answer the question of the extent to which the development at the time influenced the political processes immediately after the fall of the communist regime. One specific aspect of the changes in Slovakia was the relatively permeable boundary between the “official” and “unofficial” discourse, which provided room for a non‑realised model of negotiated transition. The political transformation in Slovakia was principally influenced not only by nationwide events but also local impulses. Marušiak, Juraj. 1989 in Slovakia – Between Reform and Radical Change. Securitas Imperii, 36 (2), 2020, pp. 82-122.

Zwischen Krieg und Frieden. Festschrift für Erwin A. Schmidl zum 65. Geburtstag, 2021

2009

"Historický časopis", 2020

The history of Slovakia and the Slovaks has for many years been perceived in Polish historiography as a component of larger wholes: the history of Hungary or the history of Czechoslovakia. For this reason, Polish historians usually paid little attention to the phenomenon of the national development of the Slovaks in the 19th century. This situation began to change only from the 1990s, when numerous studies finally appeared seeking to see the history of Slovakia and the Slovaks as a separate historical issue from the histories of the Hungarians and especially the Czechs. This text is aimed at presenting the achievements of Polish scholars over the last three decades with regard to the history of Slovakia and the Slovaks in the 19th century. The article describes the most important Polish synthetic studies, collective studies, and finally monographic works on the history of Slovakia and Slovak culture. Attention was also paid to the most important scientific centres in Poland, which initiate research in the field of Slovak culture and history. Despite the growing interest in Poland’s southern neighbour in recent years, significant shortcomings in Polish historiography are still visible. The article also attempts to draw attention to the desirable perspectives for further research in Poland.