The wartime Slovak state adopted Nazi Germany's slogan, "One nation, one party, one leader." But in order to maintain this fragile unity, everything that could threaten it had to be banned.
According to the HSĽS, national unity was most threatened by persons of Czech nationality, and racial unity was most threatened by the Roma and the Jews. These people, together with members of political parties banned by the People's Party, had already been harassed by members of the Hlinka Guard during the period of autonomy. From the autumn of 1938, for example, an intensive campaign was launched by the HSĽS to remove Czech professors from Comenius University.
Many were dismissed, and those who were allowed to remain at the university had to have proof that they could not be replaced by a teacher of Slovak nationality. All teachers and students of Jewish origin also had to leave the university, then the only one in Slovakia. Between 1939 and 1940, almost 20,000 Czech officials and employees left Slovakia, which together with their families amounted to 55,000 people.
The government newspaper wrote openly about the need to purify Slovakia: 'We Guardsmen demand that all such non-Slovaks should disappear and be replaced by Slovaks. Let us stand guard and remove everything that is not ours. On Guard!"
The Slovak state gradually began to restrict the life of the Roma population. One of the propaganda slogans of the HSĽS was "After the Jews, the Gypsies". The ruling party first targeted the nomadic Roma, who were prevented from obtaining citizenship from 1939 onwards. Some of them were expelled from the army shortly afterwards, and many had their work opportunities restricted, for example by having their trades taken away. For the nomadic Roma, who were mainly engaged in craft work (basket-making, etc.), these regulations were liquidating. Many had their wagons burnt and their horses confiscated.
The drive on the Roma was mainly carried out by Slovak Guardsmen. (...) For example, a family went to town and simply disappeared. Relatives went to look for them, they took them too. This was the fate of several uncles and aunts. It also happened that women and girls had their hair shaved off half of their heads by the Guardsmen. Just to humiliate them and show them that they were an inferior race
However, there was no interest in completely liquidating the Roma - unlike the Jews, they had no property that could be taken away from them (by so-called aryanization). The aim was to make the Roma invisible. All settled Roma were forbidden to enter public places and could only enter the villages at restricted times.
All settled Roma were forbidden to enter public places and could only enter the villages at restricted times.
From 1941, a decree was in force ordering the removal of Roma dwellings so that they could not be seen from busy roads or trains. The municipalities were to move the Roma away, to a remote location, and to settle the land under the new settlement. The consequences of these removals were drastic, and it is still not known how many municipalities were affected by the regulations. Some districts reported that they succeeded in all villages. This is how most of the current so-called Roma settlements were established, for example the settlement of Letanovce.
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Remembering the HolocaustHungary
Return and emigrationHungary
LMBTQHungary
History of the HolocaustHungary
Fascist ideologyHungary
The HolocaustHungary
The HolocaustSlovakia
Slovak StateSlovakia
IdeologySlovakia
PersecutionSlovakia
AntisemitismSlovakia
AryanisationSlovakia
PorajmosSlovakia
PorajmosHungary
LGBT minoritySlovakia
First transportSlovakia
DeportationsSlovakia
Life in the campSlovakia
Slovak National UprisingSlovakia
HomecomingSlovakia
EmigrationSlovakia
