After the First World War an independent Czechoslovakia
saw the light of day. These territories where previously part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
which had crumbled by the end of WW1. Many Slovaks hoped that the new state would be
something like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where the Slovaks had some autonomy. Slovak
autonomists envisioned this. Some were willing to go further and strived for a seperate and
distinguished Slovak nation. The main political force behind this was the Hlinka’s Slovak
People’s Party led by the Catholic priest, Monsignor Andrej Hlinka.
Democracy was rejected as an outdated concept. They believed that the current Czechslovak
Republic was a transit station for Slovaks to gain full independence. And that so-called
“independence” came in 1939.
By that time Hlinka had passed away and was succeeded by Josef Tiso and he became the
leader of the Slovak Republic, a puppet state of Nazi Germany. How did this state came to
be? Hitler had his eye on parts of Czechslovakia: the Sudetenlands where many ethnic Germans
lived. In 1938 the Munich Conference took place were political leaders from Britain,
France, Germany and Italy came together. Czechslovakia (not represented at the conference) was forced
to cede the borderlands (Sudentenland) to Germany. The following year Hitler went one
step further and took over the whole of the Czech lands which became known as the Protectorate
of Bohemia and Moravia. So what happened to Slovakia? Before the Germans took over the
Czech lands HSĽS leader Tiso was invited to Berlin. Hitler promised that if Slovakia
would seperate, it would enjoy Germany's protection. Else it was at the mercy of neighboring states.
On 14 March Slovakia declared itself independent and the following day the Germans marched
into Bohemia and Moravia, calling it a protectorate the next day. The new Slovak state had around
2.5 million inhabitants and was around 38,000 square km. Its territory shrunk: some parts
were taken by Hungary, smaller parts by Poland. There is much more to this, like the Slovak-Hungarian
Border War and there was the short-lived Carpatho Ukraine, but that's all for other episodes.
But in reality the Slovak system was no democratic state at all: no elections ever took place.
The Slovak Army had around 30,000 men. It took part in the invasion of Poland and annexed
some of the territories while the bulk of the nation was carved up by Germany and the
USSR. The Slovak armed forces would grow to around 90,000 men. Around half of these men
would join Germany's attack on the USSR as the so-called Slovak Expeditionary Army Group.
That for sure is a topic for a future video. Initially morale among these men was low and
the justifying the attack was a big task for official Slovak propaganda. Relations between
Slovakia and the USSR had been good. Nevertheless when Slovak soldiers were greeted as liberators
by for example Ukrainians, who had since the Soviet annexations of Eastern Poland been
living under Soviet rule, and when they witnessed the reality of Soviet rule (dire poverty,
destroyed churches and prisons filled with executed prisoners) morale improved. Yet,
later Slovak soldiers witnessed the terror committed by the advancing Germans combined
with the severe winter conditions morale plumited. Also, because the Hungarians took part in
the campaign as well and the Slovak government saw it as very unlikely that the former Slovak
lands annexed by Hungary would return. As time progressed the numbers of Slovak soldiers
in the East was constantly reduced. And then there was also the Hlinka Guard – the
HSĽS had a party militia called the Hlinka Guard which would
assist in the Holocaust.
The first antisemitic measures took place in 1939 and culminated in the spring and summer
of 1942 were Jews were expropriated. Some 23,000 gained access to a bureaucratic exemption,
about 58,000 were deported, most of whom did not surive. In 1943 Slovak bishops intervened
on behalf of Jewish converts to Christianity and Christians of Jewish origin after which
the deportations stopped. Yet, after the failed Slovak National Uprising German troops entered
the country, with them the notorious Einsatzgruppe and another 12,000 were killed. In the end
three-quarters of the Slovak Jews would perish during the war.
This brings me to the resistance. Many Slovaks did welcome the new state when it was proclaimed
and the regime was accepted by most Slovaks till 1940. Yet, from the beginning there was
organized opposition. There were the so-called Czechoslovaks who believed in a united Czechoslovakia
and held contacts with the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. Other favoured an independent Slovakia albeit
a democratic one. Communists didn't have a clear position at first but later advocated
for a independent socialist Slovakia. There was the Czech organisation National Defence
which also operated in Slovakia. The biggest act of Slovak defience was the
Slovak National Uprising (1944). Now this rebellion deserves an episode of its own,
but let's discuss it here first. From the spring of 1944 is became clear to most Slovaks
that the Slovak Republic would not survive this war. The Allies had recognized the Czechoslovak
government-in-exile of Edvard Benes. Slovaks listened to his broadcasts. In 1944 he stated
that the Slovak population was:
Around that time partisans were dropped by the Soviet air force in the east and center
of the country to organize resistance. Slovak communists and their sympathizers joined them.
They committed acts of sabotage. They encountered almost no resistance from Slovak authorities
since the Slovak police force was inadequate for such a task. Martial law was declared
mid-August, which in reality only existed on paper. Towards the end of the month German
forces entered the country and the Slovak army revolted: around 60,000 Slovak insurgent
forces were able to stop the Germans for two months. Towards the end of October the Germans
had suppressed the uprising and occupied the whole nation. It led to murderous consequenses.
Villages suspected of collaboration with the insurgent army (that was by now called Czechoslovak
Army in Slovakia) were destroyed and many people were executed. And not only those who
took part in the uprising or were accused of this suffered. As Timothy Snyder wrote:
Eventually the Red Army took over Bratislava early April 1945. With that the Slovak Republic
ceased to exist. After the war Josef Tiso among other high ranking persons the former
Slovak state were triad and executed.
When researching this episode I am well aware that there are so many things and aspects
to cover and to cover more in detail. If you want to share your additional information,
lemme know in the comments.