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The so-called Slovak question asked what place Slovaks held-or should have held-in the former state of Czechoslovakia. Formed in 1918 at the end of World War I from the remains of the Hungarian Empire, and reformed after ceasing to exist during World War II, the country would eventually split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia after the "Velvet Divorce" in 1993.
In the meantime, the minority Slovaks often clashed with the majority Czechs over their role in the nation. The Slovak Question examines this debate from a transatlantic perspective. Explored through the relationship between Slovaks, Americans of Slovak heritage, and United States and Czechoslovakian policymakers, it shows how Slovak national activism in America helped the Slovaks establish a sense of independent identity and national political assertion after World War I. It also shows how Slovak American leaders influenced US policy by conceptualizing the United States and Slovakia as natural allies due to their connections through immigration. This process played a critical role in undermining attempts to establish a united Czechoslovakian identity and instead caused a divide between the two groups, which was exploited by Nazi Germany and then by other actors during the Cold War, and proved ultimately to be insurmountable.
In the meantime, the minority Slovaks often clashed with the majority Czechs over their role in the nation. The Slovak Question examines this debate from a transatlantic perspective. Explored through the relationship between Slovaks, Americans of Slovak heritage, and United States and Czechoslovakian policymakers, it shows how Slovak national activism in America helped the Slovaks establish a sense of independent identity and national political assertion after World War I. It also shows how Slovak American leaders influenced US policy by conceptualizing the United States and Slovakia as natural allies due to their connections through immigration. This process played a critical role in undermining attempts to establish a united Czechoslovakian identity and instead caused a divide between the two groups, which was exploited by Nazi Germany and then by other actors during the Cold War, and proved ultimately to be insurmountable.
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Reviews
"At last, we have a book by a professional historian that documents the important role American Slovaks played in the development of Slovak national identity, the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, and the autonomy movement throughout its history. Slovak leaders in the United States always knew about this, but the general public did not, and many scholars of Czechoslovakia largely ignored it. Mic
M. Mark Stolarik, University of Ottawa
"Cude examines the Slovaks in America and their relationship to their homeland. They became instrumental in the development of Czechoslovakia during the First World War. Yet, following the war, they were marginalized, even vilified, by both Prague and Washington despite efforts to continue to advocate on behalf of their conationals before the 1948 communist coup virtually ended their role. This st
Gregory Ference, Salisbury University