EN
The subject of the analysis is the process of the exchange of municipal political elite in 1938 – 1944 on the example of Prešov. The municipal political elite are understood by the authors as the part of society that has power, and which determines the direction of further development of society. In the years 1938 – 1944 in Slovakia, there were several interventions in the municipal government in connection with important socio-political events (Post-Munich crisis, declaration of the Slovak state, etc.). These interventions were of a different nature and were regularly linked to staff exchanges. One of the consequences of exchanges in municipal political elites was the penetration of the elements of authoritarianism at the local level. These processes are analysed by the authors on the example of Prešov. In this city, the followers of the incoming Hlinka Slovak People's Party had to fight for the seizure of power, which required the use of all available means. However, they did not avoid intra-party competition. Similar in-depth analyses based on detailed primary research can be seen as a prerequisite for understanding and knowledge of the process of exchange of municipal political elites, including decisive socio-political determinants, as well as the nature of the authoritarian regime established in Slovakia during the Post-Munich crisis in the autumn of 1938.