Hitler’s priests in Slovakia?: on the convergence of catholicism and fascism in Nazi “New Europe”

• Authors: Miloslav Szabó

Title variants

SK

"Hitlerovi" kňazi na Slovensku?: ku konvergencii katolicizmu a fašizmu v nacistickej "novej Európe"

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper deals with the fascistization of Catholic clergy on the eastern periphery of the Nazi “New Europe”, specifically within the Slovak State (1939–1945), a Nazi satellite in East Central Europe. In reference to recent historiographical debates, “clerico-fascism” serves here as a tool for an analysis of the ideology of the most prominent Slovak “clerico-fascist”, the president and Catholic priest Jozef Tiso (1887–1947). Specifically, it examines the transformation of social Catholicism into an instrument of fascist discipline. In addition, the article examines the fascistization of three other Slovak clerics: Karol Körper (1894–1969), Ladislav Hanus (1907–1994) and Viliam Ries (1906–1989). Focusing on individual agencies of both moderate and radical “clerico-fascists” on the basis of the regime of Hlinka’s Slovak People’s Party (Hlinkova slovenská ľudová strana) during the Second World War, the article seeks an explanation for political and religious radicalization in East Central Europe during the first half of the twentieth century.

Keywords

EN

Slovakia; Slovak State (1939-1945); Czechoslovakia; Catholicism; Catholic clergy; fascism; “clerico-fascism”; Hlinka’s Slovak People’s Party; Second World War; political radicalization; Jozef Tiso; Karol Körper; Ladislav Hanus; Viliam Ries

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Institute of Contemporary History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Soudobé dějiny (Contemporary History)
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 691-723
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Miloslav Szabó

• Soudobé dějiny, redakce, Ústav pro soudobé dějiny AV ČR, v.v.i., Vlašská 9, 118 40 Praha 1, Czech Republic