Destruction of Democracy in Autonomous Slovakia Analysed by the Example of the Horná Nitra Region

• Authors: Róbert Arpáš
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Declaration of autonomy in October 1938 was a turning point that enabled the Hlinka’s Slovak People’s Party to grasp the power in Slovakia. As the leader of the autonomist wing it was considered “the only true representative of the Slovak nation”. Its far-sighted approach to democracy manifested itself practically immediately, and Slovakia set out on a journey of establishing an authoritative regime. The autonomous institutions were trying to direct the ongoing political transformation even on a local level. However, the results of their endeavour did not always correspond with their idea of the new political system. And that is the case of the analysed region of Horná Nitra as well. Even though the inhabitants of the region were in favour of the People’s Party even during the First Czechoslovak Republic, and in this particular region the transfer of the power happened in a relatively smooth manner, various problems occurred here, too. The reason behind this was that the support of the new regime was in many cases accompanied by personal ambition and vision of one’s own profit. Claiming a vacant post at a local authority office often triggered conflicts and disputes. The applicants justified their claims by their long-lasting loyalty to the programme of the People’s Party, alternatively by the “sacrifices” they had made in the name of their political belief. Hence, the transfer of the power started turning into a quarrel featuring bragging about applicants’ political merits for which, as they believed, they were entitled to be rewarded and honoured once the political hegemony of the HSPP had been achieved.

Keywords

EN

Czechoslovakia; Nation; Autonomy; HSPP; Horná Nitra

• Publisher: University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic
• Journal: West Bohemian Historical Review
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 49-70

Contributors

author

Róbert Arpáš

• Department of History, Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Hodžova 1, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia
• Institute of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 814 99 Bratislava, Slovakia