A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival

My desire to learn about this obscure Central European country over-rode my hesitancy ... a hesitancy which stemmed from potentially being over-whelmed with names, dates, and historical events of which I knew litte. Not being a historical buff yet wanting to learn, I forged ahead. Fortunately, the writing style of the author allayed my concerns with the first few chapters which set the pace for a comfortable reading experience. Starting at the beginning, Greater Moravia was the region's name in the 900s (A.D) which was a vassal of the German Frankish empire. The Slavic nobles and people resented this relationship from which territorial disputes arose along with new winners. The area was called Pannonia under the Roman Empire. In 907 A.D. the Magyar tribes conquered the ruling German Franks. The Magyars settled in the region, having an intimate relationship with the Slovaks until the 20th century. Of note, the Slovaks maintained their Slavic language and culture despite this apparent and at times very real domination by another people. Under the Magyars, there was a form of autonomy allowing the separate culture to propigate. Numerous monarchs rose to power and forged political alliances adding to the volatility of the region. The future survival of both Hungary and Slovakia were placed constantly at risk. The author does a superb job of describing political decisions and alliances which affected the direction of the future -- which form the basis of current events. During the Middle Ages, various wars with the Germans and Mongolian invaders eventually brought the reigning Hungarian monarchs to the forefront of both countries. The Ottoman victory in Mohacs, Hungary in 1526 led to the partition of Hungary. Under conditions of this defeat, the Hapsburg monarchy with its absolutist policies, rose to rule over the Hungarians and Slovaks. Catholicism attempted to limit effects of the Reformation and its open ideas toward religion and education which spread despite opposition. While the Slovak political history mirrored that of the Hungarians, the differences in language and culture developed side by side rather peacefully for approximately 800 - 900 years. However, the revolutionary years of the late 1840s changed that. When the Magyars became more nationalistic, the Slovaks became marginalized which forced them to yearn for and develop a foundation for a country of their own. The book does a highly credible job in describing the creation of Czechoslovakia and the international milieu in which this major world event occured. The social, economic, and political policies of the 1930s and 1940s up until World War II are well discussed. The rise of Communism post World War II mimics that of the other defeated nations in Central and Eastern Europe. Kirschbaum states it best, "they became trapped in the bipolar struggle between the Western liberal democratic world and the eastern proletarian Communist one." [p.231] The defeat of Communism, from the ashes of

I enjoyed reading about the history of Slovakia as I have had too few reference points in the past. Starting from 200,000BC! It lacks extra maps to show towns spoken about in the body of text. A breakdown of major cities and their importance would help as well.I liked the fact that Kirschbaum did not rewrite the past but added substancial references and quotes[in the back of the book]. As another reviewer noted, the writer assumes the reader knows of east european history. A brief mention fo the terms of Treaties, Acts & Pacts would have been better. The 1968 Soviet Prague Invasion is hardly mentioned and it's impact on Slovakia.I'm assuming that availabilty of public documents hindered many conclusions. Also, it's written so soon after the independant state of 1993 that there would be more insights found in a 2nd edition.

Stan Kirschbaum has written the first really comprehensive and relatively unbiased history of Slovakia in this century. Almost all previous histories have attempted to prove a point -- that Slovaks really wanted to remain with Hungary, that Slovaks really wanted to remain with Slovakia, that Slovakia never really existed as a nation, etc.-- and Kirschbaum thankfully just recites the history as it was. His treatment is more even-handed than anyone else's. That should not be surprising, as he is a Canadian and had access to Western viewpoints and sources as well as Central European ones. Central European historians until recently have had access mainly to Marxist and to CZech or Hungarian sources. There is room for a more thorough and complete history of Slovakia, by a future generation of Slovak historians brought up in an atmosphere of independence and modern historical ideas, but until then this is the most useful book available. Kirschbaum persuasively makes the point that a Slovak national consciousness existed long before there was any thought of a Slovak political entity or a nation state and establishes a continuity with the past which other historians have tended to ignore or to deny. His use of sources is excellent and well documented. I found this the landmark book of Slovak history until now.

One has to hand it to Stanislav Kirschbaum; He has successfully written the first all-encompassing history of Slovakia in the post- communist era, no small task when Slovak history is as complex and multi-faceted as it is. The scope of his research and factual grounding is impressive, and his writing stlye is entertaining enough, for a history text. However, it is very easy to tell that Mr. Kirschbaum has an extremely biased pro-Slovak view of the nations history, especially as regards Slovakia's involvement in World War II and the Holocaust. Astute readers will pick up references to a Jozef Kirschbaum who was, for a short time during the war, a government official in Slovakia; This Jozef Kirschbaum is presumably a close relative of the author's, due to the fact that the author has edited a book in memory of Jozef Kirschbaum. Still, all in all, an indispensable book for students of Slovak history.