02—Slovak State.

In March 1939, the Slovak State was created by the will of Adolf Hitler with the help of People's Party politicians, following the policy of Nazi Germany.

FIG 02 / 01

Jozef Tiso po zvolení za prezidenta

In 1939, Czechoslovakia was broken up as a result of the aggressive policy of Hitler's Germany. Despite the fact that Adolf Hitler considered the Slavs an inferior race, at this moment he considered it a priority to create a docile ally in Central Europe. This is how the Slovak state was established on our territory. Slovak foreign and domestic policy was subordinated to the interests of Nazi Germany.

However, it was not only an alliance forced by external circumstances, but also the admiration of the leaders of the People's Republic for Hitler's Germany. The head of this state was a Catholic priest, Jozef Tiso, who was also the chairman of the state party, following Hitler's example, only in this case it was not called the NSDAP, but the HSĽS (Hlinkova slovenská ľudová strana or Hlinka´s Slovak People's Party).

But why did Hitler want to destroy Czechoslovakia? One of Adolf Hitler's long-term goals was to create a great Germanic empire. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, there was the Holy Roman Empire, and from the 15th to the early 19th century, there was the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The state that Adolf Hitler created was therefore also called the Third Reich. It was to be the last Great German Empire and last for a thousand years. The first two empires included Czech territory and Hitler continued this tradition. He had other plans for the territory of Slovakia.

In the event of a Third Reich victory, the Slovaks were to be partly Germanized, partly enslaved, and partly murdered. During the Second World War, however, it suited Hitler strategically to have an obedient vassal in the heart of Europe. In particular, Slovakia was to be Nazi Germany's reservoir, both in terms of labour and raw materials, and to serve as proof to other countries that even small nations could prosper under Nazi rule.

FIG. 02 / 02

Oslava narodenín vodcu Veľkonemeckej ríše
Adolfa Hitlera v Bratislave—1941

FIG. 02 / 03

Oslavy 14. marca, Deň Hlinkovej Gardy

FIG. 02 / 04

Deň Hlinkovej mládeže,
Bánovce nad Bebravou

The HSĽS was already the strongest political party in Slovakia before the war. It was founded in 1905 as the Slovak People's Party, which was later revived by the Catholic priest and nationalist Andrej Hlinka, after whom it took its name (he died before the wartime Slovak state was established in 1938).

Members of this party promoted a Christian, national and conservative view of society and the idea of autonomism, i.e. a more independent position for Slovakia within the then Czechoslovak Republic. Although the politicians of this party rejected the idea of Czechoslovakism, i.e. that we are the same nation with the Czechs, they did not oppose a common Czechoslovak state before 1938.

However, on 14 March 1939, at the will of Adolf Hitler, Jozef Tiso proclaimed the creation of an independent Slovak state. With this act, Czechoslovakia ceased to exist. The very next day, Nazi troops entered Czech territory, proclaimed the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and incorporated it into the Third Reich, Slovakia was not part of it. It became a so-called satellite and was bound to Nazi Germany by several international treaties.

FIG. 02 / 05

Plagát "Na stráž!"

FIG. 02 / 06

Plagát k oslave Hlinkovej gardy

The Slovak state functioned on an authoritarian principle with a strict centralization of power in the hands of the chairman of the only permitted party, the HSĽS, Jozef Tiso, and a narrower leadership. The leading position of the HSĽS was enshrined in the new constitution of 1939. Every such state party needed its own force, a paramilitary organization to supervise and punish those who did not recognize it.

The Italian fascists had the Black Shirts, the German Nazis had the Sturmabteilung (SA, the so-called "brown shirts") or the Schutzstaffel (SS), in Slovakia such an organization was called the Hlinkova garda (HG, Hlinka Guard). It was the power backbone of the HSĽS regime and its representatives enjoyed a privileged position in the society of the time. They wore black uniforms, and members of the so-called selected units wore grey uniforms with black inserts. The official salute of the Hlinka Guard was the salute "On guard!".

You can find out more about the Hlinka Guard at senxskutocnost.sng.sk/chapters/2/hlinkova-garda

FIG. 02 / 07

Jozef Tiso a Adolf Hitler, 1939