001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page i ILLUSTRATED Slovak History 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page ii 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page iii ILLUSTRATED Slovak History A STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY IN CENTRAL EUROPE ANTON SPIESZ and DUSAN CAPLOVIC First English Edition: Translated and Enhanced with Notes, Index, Bibliography, and Updates Editor: Ladislaus J. Bolchazy et alii Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers Wauconda, Illinois, USA 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page iv Illustrated Slovak History A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe by Anton Spiesz An Afterword by Dusan Caplovic English Edition Edited by Ladislaus J. Bolchazy in collaboration with Translators Joseph J. Palus, Jr. Albert Devine, David Daniel, Michael Kopanic, and Ivan Reguli Notes by Michael Kopanic Academic Consultants Martin Votruba, Albert Devine, Milan S. Durica, Frantisek Vnuk, Ivan Reguli, Charles Sabatos, Patrick Romane, John Karch, Zdenko G. Alexy, et alii Associate Editors Joseph J. Palus, Jr., Albert Devine, Patrick Romane and Richard Wood This book was made possible by Slovak-American International Cultural Foundation (SAICF) and Donna Schmitz, Dave and Autumn Schmitz, Jeff Schmitz, and Mike Schmitz English Edition © 2006 Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. Slovak Edition © PERFEKT, Slovakia (2002) Slovak Text © Anton Spieszˇ (1993) All Rights Reserved Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. 1000 Brown Street, Unit 101 Wauconda, Illinois 60084 USA www.bolchazy.com ISBN-10 0-86516-500-9, Hardbound ISBN-10 0-86516-426-6, Paperback ISBN-13 978-0-86516-500-7 ISBN-13 978-0-86516-426-0 Printed in Slovakia, 2006 Originally published as Ilustrovane dejiny Slovenska: Na ceste k sebauvedomeniu, copyright 1992, 1999, 2002 © Perfekt, a.s., Bratislava, Slovakia Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ·piesz, Anton. [Ilustrované dejiny Slovenska. English] Illustrated Slovak history : a struggle for sovereignty in Central Europe / Anton ·piesz and Du‰an Caploviˇˇ c ; translated and enhanced with notes, index, and bibliography ; editor, Ladislaus J. Bolchazy et alii.-- 1st English ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-86516-426-6 (pbk.) -- ISBN 0-86516-500-9 (hardbound) 1. Slovakia--History. I. Title: Slovak history. II. Caploviˇˇ c, Du‰an. III. Bolchazy, Ladislaus J. IV. Title. DB2763.S6813 2004 943.73--dc22 2004011379 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page v Table of Contents Preface to the English Edition by Kopanic . vii Foreword by Gasparovic . 1 Publisher’s Statement. 3 1/ Beginnings of History in Slovakia . 6 2/ Slavic Arrival: The Founding and Significance of their First State. 16 3/ The Arrival of the Magyars: Building of Hungary . 26 4/ The Late Medieval Age . 40 5/ The First Two Centuries of the Modern Era (1526-1681) . 62 6/ A Hunderd Years of Re-Catholicization (1681-1781) . 76 7/ Headed towards Revolution (1781-1848) . 88 8/ The Revolution of 1848-1849 . 102 9/ Events Leading to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (1849-1867) . 124 10/ The Era of Dual Monarchy (1867-1918) . 142 11/ Between Two World Wars (1918-1939) . 188 12/ During the Second World War (1939-1945) . 208 13/ Between 1945 and 1960. 234 14/ Socialism: from Rise to Fall (1960-1989) . 256 An Afterword by Dusan Caplovic . 262 A Decade of Sovereignty (1993-2004) . 300 Endnotes. 307 Maps. 365 Bibliography . 372 List of Rulers and Presidents . 397 Index . 398 ℘ ℘ ℘ ℘℘ ℘ ℘ ℘ List of Maps Slovak Counties ‘zupy’ in Hungary* . vi* Central Europe, 9th Century**. 365 Central Europe, 1918–1923** . 366 Slovakia in the Twentieth Century** . 367 Central Europe ca. 1930, with list of districts** . 368 Central Europe, 2000, with list of districts** . 370 *Copyright © 1995 Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, A Hisotry of Slovakia. Published by the St. Martin’s Griffin, New York, NY, USA. Courtesy: Stanislav J. Kirschbaum. **Copyright © 1993, 2002 Paul Robert Magocsi, Historical Atlas of Central Europe. Published by the University of Washington Press, Seattle WA, USA. Reprinted by permission of the University of Washington Press. 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page vi Slovak counties ‘zupy’ in Hungary . Published by the St. Martin’s Griffin,. Published by the St. Martin’s York, New NY, USA. Courtesy: J. Kirschbaum. Stanislav A Hisotry of Slovakia Copyright ©Copyright J. Kirschbaum, 1995 Stanislav vi 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page vii Preface to the English Edition It is no easy task to catch and hold a reader’s attention in a world so full of distractions; it is even harder to nudge him into reading the history of a small nation in the heart of Europe. Nevertheless, such is Anton Spiesz’ endeavor in his final work, a survey of Slovak history. Published in the wake of the Velvet Revolution, it is the first such survey attempted after the fall of Communism. The integrity of such an outstanding Slovak historian as Anton Spiesz, Ph.D., guarantees an interesting read. Dr. Spiesz is known for his tireless search for historical truth, his revisions of older concepts, and his presentation of new views, even in the face of controversy or derision. The timely publi- cation of such a high-quality history is all the more welcome, since its author no longer feels obligated to nod his head to the various ‘powers that be’, whether smiling thankfully to the left or respectfully to the right. Spiesz dedicated many years to research at the Historical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. As an establishment institution with a predeter- mined methodology, it posited a ‘politically correct’ Marxist interpretation of Slovakia’s past. Eventually dismissed from the Institute over methodological conflicts, Spiesz could not resume his work there until after the political upheaval of 1989. He eagerly welcomed the new historical development that allowed his lungs to once again breathe the bracing air of freedom. Concerns of censorship no longer dimming his thoughts, he was again able to tackle ‘unclear issues’, no matter their complexity. In that moment of catharsis this book began to take shape. The monograph is in many ways a consolidation of several basic studies Spiesz had previously published both in Slovakia and abroad: Manufakturne obdobie na Slovensku (The Era of Manufacturing in Slovakia), 1961; Poddani Tekova v 18. storoci (Serfdom in 18th Century Tekov. A joint study with J. Watzky), 1966; Remeslo na Slovensku v obdobi cechov (Slovakian Crafts dur- ing the Period of Guilds), 1972; Statuty bratislavskych cechov (The By-laws of Bratislava’s Guilds), 1978; Slobodne kralovske mesta na Slovensku v ro- koch 1680–1780 (Royally Chartered Towns in Slovakia 1680–1780), 1983; Remesla, cechy a manufaktury na Slovensku (Crafts, Guilds and Manufactur- ing Plants in Slovakia), 1983; and Bratislava v 18. storoci (Bratislava in the 18th Century), 1987. Anton Spiesz also made significant contributions to the following works: Prehled dejin Ceskoslovenska (A Survey of Czecho-Slovak History), 2 vol. 1981; and Dejiny Slovenska (A History of Slovakia), 1990. He also cooperat- ed with other scholars in compiling the following: Historicky atlas CSR (An Historical Atlas of the Czecho-Slovak Republic); Dejiny ceskoslovenskeho vojenstvi (An History of the Czecho-Slovak Military); Hospodarske dejiny vii 001-101_slovenska_120805.qxd 12/8/05 10:01 AM Page viii ILLUSTRATED SLOVAK HISTORY Ceskoslovenska (An Economic History of Czecho-Slovakia); and finally, Encyklopedia Slovenska (An Encyclopedia of Slovakia). His book is nevertheless something quite exceptional since its scope is the whole sweep of our history rather than isolated epochs. Though it may at times seem so, it is not strictly scholarly, since it lacks the relevant apparatus, such as references, registers, etc. Nor has it any pretensions to being a textbook in modern history. Simply put, it is a retrospective by one of the most scholarly and productive of Slovak historians, the subjective testimony of an erudite, well-rounded individual. This first English edition attempts to correct the defi- ciencies with copious notes, extensive bibliography, index, and over 300 color illustrations and six maps. *** Slovakia is a small, relatively unknown country, lying inconspicuously among larger neighbors: Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Ukraine. It is not a trouble-making state, nor does it grab headlines; indeed, few people in the West are even aware of its existence. Many Americans con- fuse it with Slovenia to the south (beyond Austria and Hungary) or relate it to the former Yugoslavia. It is a very recent addition to the European family of states, but it has a long, eventful history and a rich culture. Anton Spiesz’ book helps fill the large gap in works on the subject, while aiming at a reasonably educated readership, not just scholars. Though not necessarily major players, the inhabitants of Slovakia have been deeply involved in European history. Small in size, Slovakia numbers slightly over 5.3 million inhabitants, predominantly of Slovak ethnicity, but with a sizeable Hungarian component of about 600,000. Smaller minorities include Carpatho-Rusyns, Czechs, Romany (Gypsies), and some Poles and Germans, all of whom reflect the fluidity of migration in past centuries. Slovakia merits attention as a significant component of the patchwork of European states and ethnicities. Moreover, some 1.8 million Americans trace their ancestry to it, many of whom may be presumed to share an interest in the land of their forebears. In the past, Slovakia has been predominantly rural and agricultural, though it was an important center of Hungarian mining and, in the 16th and 17th Centuries, when the rest of Hungary lay under Turkish occupation, even of industry. Nearly a millennium after the fall of Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary and then the Austrian Habsburg dynasty controlled Slovakia’s fortunes. This long period came to a close in 1918 with the devastation of World War I, which reshaped the map of Europe.