The Slovak National Uprising 1944

Problems of World History

In the Slovak Republic (SR), after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 in Czechoslovakia and the collapse of ČSFR in 1993, the problem of creating a national narrative of historical memory, in particular about the Second World War, as one of the important elements of the transformation of Slovak society and systemic post-communist transformations in the young state, became more urgent. The article deals with the official version of preserving and popularizing the historical memory of the Second World War in the Slovak Republic, the main state institution for the implementation of which is the Institute of National Remembrance established in 2002, as well as various interpretations by Slovak historians and politicians of such key events of the Second World War as the history of the Slovak state in 1939-1944, the Hungarian-Slovak “Little War” in March 1939, the participation of Slovak military units in the war on the Eastern Front, the Slovak National Uprising of 1944, the Holocaust. Variou...

Securitas Imperii, 2021

This study deals with the tactics, means and methods by which the Communist Party of Slovakia, as a regional branch of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, politically fought for a monopoly of power after the Second World War. First, it briefly describes the development of this party and its acceptance by the Slovak society in the interwar and war period. Then, it presents a picture, analyses and compares the ways in which the Slovak Communists tried to disqualify their insurgent partners and postwar rivals for power in the political strugglethe Slovak Democrats. It notes the relations between the Slovak and Czech Communists, the transformation of communist propaganda and tactics, conditioned by a single goal-the gain of totalitarian power, the introduction of the dictatorship of the proletariat and the replacement of capitalism by communism. Until the communist takeover in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the Communists used a variety of democratic, semi-democratic and outright violent and undemocratic practices to win-from hyperbolizing the party propaganda, via the abuse of mass social organizations and the secret police, to purposeful investigation and intimidation and the threat of using a forceful solution of the political struggle. 1

Historický časopis, 2015

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

2014

In contrast to the Czechs, the Slovakian resistance towards communist dictatorship grew out of other motives, springing to life from different ideological premises and – not least – historical experiences quite different from those faced by the Czechs. These assumed a much more religious and national character and found expression in myriad ways, ranging from the pilgrimages and petitions to the efflo-rescent Samizdat press and written declamations against the infringements of the communist church secretary. The spate of protests in Bratislava on March 25, 1988 initiated by Slovaks abroad and organied by the laiety of the Catholic Church was the first public demonstration for the observance of citizen and human rights in the entire eastern Bloc before 1989. The various attitudes of Slovaks towards their Czech counterparts was no doubt one of the reasons why the best known oppoti-tion movement – Charter 77 – was not able to maintain itself in Slovakia. Alongside religiously motivated aspects of the resistance, the political energies of Slovaks likely drove the environmental activities. Environmental protection-ists expressed their main criticism against the pollution of the Slovak capital by means of a leaflet campaign which caused a great stir under the name Bratislava/ nahlas, and was rightly characterized as a kind of Slovak Charta. The following study analyzes the concrete aktivities of the Slovak opposition movement which became stronger in the second half of the 1970's and had a hand in the downfall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The analysis proposes that study of the different forms of resistance that took place in each parts of the country merits individual attention in order to see how the political and social motivations of Czechs and Slovaks differed from one another. The resistance against the dictatorial rule of the two communist parties: the statewide Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) 1 and the Communist

"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).

2010

There has been a conflict between Slovakia and Hungary, two neighboring countries at the Carpathian Basin concerning the Hungarian minority in Slovakia. In consequence of the Trianon Peace Treaty (1920) Hungarian origin people became the minorities at the territories where they had ruled nearly for a thousand year. In recent times the Hungarian minority under Slovak citizenship claims that the minority could not enjoy social and cultural rights given by the Constitution and are supressed by the Slovak authorities. On the other hand, the Slovak authorities accuse Hungary of irredentism and assert that the Hungarian government seeks to interfere their internal affairs through the Hungarian minority in Slovakia. Therefore new laws introduced in both banks of the Danube has been paving a way for new crises. Another problem is the rising extremism among both Slovak and Hungarian nationalists that sows the seeds of illegal armed and uniformed youth organizations. Therefore, violence towards the members of the minority groups and fights in sport matches have been increasing. The main reason of those problems is the fact that both nations are incapable of erasing their mind from their historical solicitudes. Well understanding of history of the Carpathian Basin and Slovak-Hungarian relations would shed light upon the roots of the current problems. Thus this article aims to inform the reader on the emergence of the Slovak identity, the history of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia and recent developments concerning the relations between Slovakia and Hungary with respect to Hungarian minority in Slovakia.

Codrul Cosminului, 2017

This analysis considers the way in which Romania managed the more and more complex relations within the Axis during the year 1943. At the beginning of the year, the military situation on the Eastern front had changed substantially. Germany's defeat at Stalingrad had changed the relation between Germany and its allies. The tension between Germany and Romania, on the one hand, and between Slovakia and Hungary on the other hand, would also mark the relations within the Axis. However, the armies of the three allies continued to support the German war effort. The Slovak Rapid Division participated during the year in the military defensive operations of the Crimean Peninsula. Its effort led to the erosion of the combat capabilities, especially after the disaster caused by the Battle of Kakhovka. Instead, the Slovakian army had to face an unprecedented number of defections. The Slovak soldiers moving to the enemy had forced the Germans to disband the Rapid Division, some of which being...

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

History Today, 2004

Pode Bal: from the series Flagelants, 2006 (You do not have to suff er any longer that we were the fascist state. I will suff er for you.)