THE SLOVAK

REPUBLIC
1939-1945
KRISTÍNA SLEZIAKOVÁ
 1. Situation in Europe before 1939

2. The origin of Slovak republic

OUTLINE • Little war

3. Political background

4. National Minorities
 1. Situation in Europe before 1939

2. The origin of Slovak republic

OUTLINE • Little war

3. Political background

4. National Minorities
MARCH 13 1939
TH

H i t l e r i n v i t e d Ti s o t o B e r l i n .

H i t l e r g a v e Ti s o 2 c h o i c e s :

1. A n i m m e d i a t e d e c l a r a t i o n o f
independence

2. T h e p r o s p e c t o f t h e d i v i s i o n
of Slovakia between
G e r m a n y, P o l a n d , H u n g a r y
MARCH 14TH 1939
• parliament declared the origin
of an independent state

• president Emil Hácha

accepted a German
protectorate over the
remainder of Czecho- Slovakia

• The presidium of the Slovak

assembly = the first
government of the Slovak
state.

• Jozef Tiso - prime minister

THE FIRST SLOVAK REPUBLICwas established on March 14th 1939
MARCH 15 1939
TH

The German army crossed the

Czech borders
MARCH 16TH 1939

In Prague Emil Hácha signed

H i t l e r ’s d e g r e e c o n c e r n i n g t h e
Protectorate of Czechia and
Moravia.
 MARCH 23TH 1939
The German foreign minister Ribbentrop signed a
t r e a t y - t h e Tr e a t y o f P r o t e c t i o n i n B e r l i n
establishing a protective relationship between the
German Reich and the Slovak state. Slovakia
obligated itself to organize its own armed forces,
foreign policy and economy in close harmony with
Germany.
ACCORDING TO TREATY OF PROTECTION:

“THE GERMAN REICH WILL

PROTECT THE POLITICAL
INDEPENDENCE OF THE SLOVAK
STATE AND THE INTEGRITY OF ITS
TERRITORY”
 1. Situation in Europe before 1939

2. The origin of Slovak republic

OUTLINE • Little war

3. Political background

4. National Minorities
“LITTLE WAR” THE
SLOVAK–HUNGARIAN WAR
MARCH 1939
 Click icon to add picture

MARCH 1939
• the Hungarian army
invaded eastern
Slovakia from the
occupied territory of
Sub- Carpathian
Ruthenia

• After several days of

conflict, with the use of
aircraft and tanks, the
Slovak republic had to
surrender to Hungary
 1. Situation in Europe before 1939

2. The origin of Slovak republic

OUTLINE • Little war

3. Political background

4. National Minorities
JULY 21 TH
1939

The Slovak assembly accepted a constitution and

a new name, the first Slovak Republic.
•• the constitution was based upon liberal- democratic elements and Christian elements and legally
established the exceptional position of Hlinka’s Slovak Peoples’s party in the state
•• recognized by 27 states during its existence except the USA
•• area of 38 000 km2 and a population of 2 600 000 people
•• it had all the institutions and symbols of an independent state: a parliament, government,
president, national anthem, state shield, flag, currency and representatives abroad
 Jozef Tiso
• the traditional structures of the party
• friendly relationship with Germany
• support of the Catholic Church (many priests, Christian
POLITICIANS
values, …)
• the church supported the social, cultural and educational
policies of the government

Vojtech Tuka
• more radical methods
• Germany supported this group
• main support - the Hlinka Guard (Alexander Mach)
• organized according to the model of the German SA
July 25th 1939
• the Slovak
assembly
accepted a law
concerning the
internal public
administration

• internally divided
into 6 counties
 SEPTEMBER 1TH
1939

Units of the Hlinka Guard and the Slovak army

participated in a German military operation
against Poland
NOVEMBER 1939
• Milan Hodža, in exile in Paris, established
the Slovak National Council in opposition
to the Czechoslovak national Committee of
Edvard Beneš.

SOVIET UNION RELATIONSHIPS:

• Slovakia had good economic and cultural

contacts with the Soviet Union, but they
were limited by the ideology, and especially
by the fact that the Soviet Union regarded
Slovakia as part of the German sphere.
14. 3. 1939

26. 10. 1939

Jozef Tiso Vojtech Tuka

– Prime minister - Prime minister

28. 7. 1940
Salzburg talks

Ferdinand Ďurčanský Alexander Mach Ferdinand Čatloš

- Foreign and interior - Interior minister - Minester of defence
minister
 1. Situation in Europe before 1939

2. The origin of Slovak republic

OUTLINE • Little war

3. Political background

4. National Minorities
• 85% of inhabitants = Slovaks
• 1939- 1940 = a forced leave of the
Czech employees
1940 = number of Czech state employees
fell to 9 000 to 2 205
• “national minority” replaced by the term
“national group” adopted by Germany
THE GERMANS (130 000)

• the most numerous minority group

• fulfilled a pressure and control function
in favor of the Nazis
• the Carpathian German (leader: Franz
Karmasin) changed into the Deutsche
Partei = organizing and representing all
the German minorities
◦ Organizations: the Hlinka Guard, the
Hlinka Youth, Women´ s trade union, sport
organizations and its own administration at
schools
THE RUSYN MINORITY

• represented in parliament

• did not have its own political organization like

the Germans and Hungarians
THE HUNGARIANS
• After the Vienna Arbitration, about 60 000 Hungarians remained in Slovakia
• The regime allowed the Hungarian party in Slovakia, led by Janos Eszterházy
• Article 95 of the Slovak constitution gave ethnic minorities the same right as Slovak had in the
territory of the minority´s “ mother country”
• Dispute between BA and Budapešť - about approval of minority schools, cultural societies,
newspapers, sports clubs…..