European Studies

History of Slovakia
Revision of last lesson

Slovakia is ............................in the ....................Europe. It is a .......................country because it is surrounded by other

countries without any access to the sea. It..................on January 1, 1993. It is bordered by the................... to the west, by
Poland to the ................., to the east by the.................and to the .............by Hungary and Austria.

.......................are mostly natural, as there are created by ........................(the Danube , the Moravia) and by .......................
(the Carpathians, the High Tatras).

Krahule hill is considered to be...........................centre of Europe.

Surface of Slovakia is characterised by .......................,mountain .............,

The High Tatras and the Low Tatras belong to ................parks and protected................... Gerlachovský štít
is ..................peak of Slovakia, ...................in the middle of the whole massif. The .......................part of the High Tatras
is ..............by the Lomnický .............and the western part by the ....................

The High Tatras are very......................for many valleys with .......................which are result of glacial activity.
Strbske pleso is the most........................lake with wonderful views of .........................mountain peaks.
Slovak Paradise is ..................and ................region, where tourists can find rock................., caves, ..........,
roaring...................
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8H5leO91R0
History of Slovakia I

Early Slovakia - In the 9th century Slovakia became part of the state of the Great Moravian
Empire, which included parts of Germany, Hungary and Poland and lasted to 906. During its
lifetime St Cyril and St Methodius converted Slovakia to Christianity.

In the early 10th the Great Moravian Empire was destroyed by people called the Magyars
(ancestors of modern Hungarians) who settled down and formed the state of Hungary but
they still ruled Slovakia. Hungary was to rule Slovakia for the next 1,000 years!
History of Slovakia II
In 1526 the Turks won the battle of Mohacs. Afterwards Hungary was dismembered. Part of
it, together with Slovakia came to be ruled by the Hapsburgs of Austria. So Slovakia became
part of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy.
History of Slovakia III - Slovakia in the Early 20th Century
On 30 October 1918 the formation of a new Czech-Slovak state was announced. It was called
Czechoslovakia. It was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918,
when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until
its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.

Although Czechoslovakia was the only central European country to remain a parliamentary
democracy during the entire period 1918 to 1938, it faced problems with ethnic minorities such
as Hungarians, Poles and Sudeten Germans.

During March 1939 the German army occupied the rest of what is now the Czech Republic.
Slovakia became nominally independent (although it was really a German puppet), led by Jozef
Tiso, who introduced a repressive regime.

Then in August 1944 a rebellion called the Slovak National Uprising took place. However
Germany troops crushed the rebellion.
History of Slovakia IV - Communist Slovakia
In 1946 the Communists emerged as the largest and introduced a full Communist regime.
Industry was nationalized and agriculture was collectivized. Meanwhile many people were
imprisoned or executed.

However on 5 January 1968 Alexander Dubcek, a Slovakian became head of government.

Dubcek led a reform movement known as the Prague Spring. Censorship ended and in April
1968 the Party published its Action Program promising 'socialism with a human face' in other
words democracy and freedom of speech. The Soviets and their Warsaw Pact allies were
alarmed and they decided to invade. Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia on 20
August 1968.

On 17 November 1989, a series of public protests known as the "Velvet Revolution" began
and led to the downfall of Communist Party rule in Czechoslovakia.

On 1 January 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic each simultaneously and
peacefully proclaimed their existence.
History of Slovakia V - Slovakia – member of European Union

In May 2004, Slovakia became a member of the European Union together with nine
other countries.

The Slovak language became of the official languages of the European Union.
Its membership has influenced the political and economic life of the country
considerably.

Slovak companies and institutions participate in various EU funded projects concerning

thhe environment, regional development, education, trade and other spheres.
Slovak students get involved in exchange programmes and study abroad.

A lot of doctors, engineers, programmers, researchers have decided to work abroad.

Questions:

1. What was the first state in 9th century which included

Slovak country?
2. Who destroyed the Great Moravian Empire?
3. What was the name of monarchy that was created after the
battle in Mohacs?
4. When was Czechoslovakia created?
5. What is Slovak National Uprising?
6. What was the result of the Velvet Revolution?
7. When did Slovakia enter the European Union?