A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival

Rating:
Summary: The best there is, which isn't saying much
Review: I am a Slovak-American and a Rusyn-American. As such, I have stongly mixed feelings about this book.

It is the only currently available attempt to chronicle the complete history of the Slovak people. In many parts, it is superb. It exudes a sense of pride for a culture that has often been ignored or undervalued, even by the Slovaks themselves and their children and grandchildren.

This made it even harder for me to accept the anti-Czech bias of this book and its efforts to justify and lionize Tiso, who was the pro-Nazi dictator of Slovakia during World War II.

Certainly, the Czechs have looked down on their "little brothers" in Slovakia from time to time. Had the Slovaks not joined with the Czechs after WWI to form Czechoslovakia, however, they would undoubted have remained as part of Hungary, and their culture might have disappeared entirely. Kirschbaum considers Czechoslovakia as a Czech attempt to dominate the Slovaks, and the goal of a completely independent Slovakia as the only acceptable outcome of Slovak history. It is still far from clear that Slovakia is better off on its own, rather than as part of a democratic Czechoslovakia.

Most troubling of all for me was Kirschbaum's defense of Father Josef Tiso, who took power in Slovakia with Hitler's blessing after Germany created the "Protectorate" of Bohemia and Moravia. Under Tiso, Slovakia colaborated with the Nazis to keep the appearance of being an independent state. This was justified, according to the author, because it meant that the Catholic Slovak majority could have control of their own country for the first time in history. While he admits that Tiso helped ship Slovakia's Jews off to the concentration camps, Kirschbaum claims he did so more slowly than the Nazis desired. Tiso also repressed the country's other minorities, including Hungarians, Gypsies, Poles, Rusyns and non-Catholics. Germans were treated well, of course, so as not to displease the Nazis. Meanwhile, the Czechs were stiking back at the Nazis, and enduring the devastation of the town of Lidice.

Slovakia's second chance at an independent nation, in 1993, also started off badly, although democracy seems to have grown stronger in the past year or so. It is still too early to tell whether Slovakia can survive as an independent economic entity, and whether it can create a tolerant society. The book's attitudes of "Czechs bad, Slovaks good," and "complete independence is worth any price" taint an otherwise well told and researched work.

Rating:
Summary: Sad book.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Overview of Nation-building/ Survival in a Volatile Region
Review: 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 which arose ... a separate country, called Slovakia ... is one of the major success stories of modern times in Europe.

This book is highly recommended reading for anyone who has an interest in the politics of Central Europe and how struggles for domination affected the region. It would also be of interest to anyone who has roots and family ties to the area. The book is a well written scholarly document that includes a detailed and lengthy bibliography for each chapter. Anyone wanting to verify facts, delve deeper into the subject or pursue their own research is given a map to reach their destination. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Rating:
Summary: An extensive, if biased, history of the Slovak nation
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: First Comprehensive Slovak history
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: First Comprehensive Slovak history
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A History of Slovakia-The Struggle for Survival
Review: This book says very little about the minorities, especially the Germans - asked by the Hungarian King Bela (to settle in the part of Northern Hungary called Zips/Spis - to cultivate the land (mentioned here as colonists), build the fortresses, communities and work the mines. This is a contribution to the culture of this land, which cannot be overlooked. Now the slovaks are claiming that as their heritage. Most of the so called history books handling the last century in Europe omit the agreements of Potsdam (August 1945) and the consequences. So does this. There is no mention of the eviction of - say ethnic cleansing - of the 150,000 Germans with Slovakian citizenship whose ancesterors had lived there for 800 years. Nor is there any mention of the mass killings of Germans in Czechoslovakia after WWII (partially committed by Slovaks) in concentration camps in Slovakia. Nor is there any mention of the the Benes decrees still valid in Slovakia. Nor does the book mention the denial of the property of the evicted Geermans. This book is more a political statement than a history book by reason of omission.

Rating:
Summary: National(ist) history
Review: This is a relatively easy-to-read book, as Kirschbaum largely avoids the oblique and dry writing style that characterizes so much of contemporary historiography. "A History of Slovakia" provides a something of a good summary of Slovak history (from a decidedly Slovak point of view), with reference to the major historical events and personalities considered important by the Slovaks. But that's about as far as it goes. Kirschbaum is a political scientist, not a historian - this means that he depends almost exclusively on the works of other mainly Slovak historians, with little critical analysis of primary sources. The latter is particularly true of everything preceding the 20th century. Therefore, in the chapters dealing with the Middle Ages and the Great Moravian state, Kirschbaum very uncritically and rather naively states that a "Slovak national consciousness" had already developed by the 10th century. Most historians, sociologists, etc. tend to agree that it's generally questionable to speak of anything resembling the modern notion of national consciousness before the late 18th century. This sets the tone for the entire book, as Kirschbaum views Slovak history as having a theme, i.e. the Slovak nation's "struggle for survival" (the book's subtitle) and everything is viewed through this prism. This is an almost exclusively political history, and a rather middling one at that. When dealing with the last 70 or so years of Slovak history, when the country was a part of Czechoslovakia, Kirschbaum dwells on Slovakia's inferior political (and economic) position and the (often exaggerated) hegemony exercised by the central government in Prague. Also a bit disturbing is his treatment of the independent Slovak state that existed from 1939 to 1944 as an Axis ally. Kirschbaum does try to provide honest treatment of the persecution and deportation of the Slovak Jews, but at the same time he tries to downplay the responsibility of the Slovak regime, especially its president Jozef Tiso, in this tragedy (perhaps not much more could be expected from a Slovak emigre scholar, whose father was a low-level official in that same Slovak state). When dealing with the post-WW2 period, much emphasis is placed on some of the major political struggles of the period and the general lack of democracy, but Kirschbaum only touches on the importance of economic developments during this period - even though he does mention at one point that the Slovaks were generally less inclined than the Czechs to discard elements of the command economy because the communist period was one of unprecedented economic growth for Slovakia. Economic developments as well as social and even cultural issues are only touched upon here, even though further exploration of these areas would probably help explain many aspects of Slovak history more clearly than Kirschbaum's "politics only" approach.

Rating:
Summary: A History of Slovak Nationalism, not the Slovak Nation
Review: This is not a comprehensive history of the land and peoples of Slovakia. It is principally the story of the idea and eventual reality of an independent Slovak state. The author does discuss historical and military events, social and political issues, economic conditions, and cultural developments, but chiefly within the context of the nationalist movement. It is a well-written and interesting story, but lacks the balance and breadth to live up to the title "A History of Slovakia." This is especially true of the 19th and 20th Centuries where Kirschbaum's focus on the nationalist movement becomes exclusive.

Rating:
Summary: Personal intrest enjoyed by writer's efforts
Review: well, I too, liked this book. I happen to be a Slovak-American who has recently tried to research his roots. I bought this book through Amazon.com and I have to say that I carry this book around with me wherever I go. (to read a little bit at a time.) I particularly reccomend one little part in there that mentioned a Slovak version of Robin Hood. His name was Juro Janosik. The author told the story of Slovakia in what I think, a College textbook form. Great Read!!