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Country Profile : SLOVAKIA
About the Slovak Republic Settled by Slavic tribes in 5th century, Slovakia became a part of the Great Moravian Empire which covered much of central Europe in the 9th century and its people converted to Christianity during this time. However by the 11th century, Slovakia was governed by the Hungarians and remained so for another 900 years. Sometimes described as less glamorous than its former partners the Czechs, Slovakia retains its own sense of identity and language, which although suppressed by Hungarian rulers in a process known as Magyarisation, was kept alive through folk songs and a folk tradition which remains strong particularly in rural areas. History of Slovakia After the end of WW1 and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Slovakia, Ruthenia, Bohemia and Moravia formed a political union known as Czechoslovakia. Reformed again as Czechoslovakia at the end of WW2, a communist government took over in 1948. Opponents were imprisoned, tortured and executed in labour camps. During the 1960s, anti-Soviet demonstrations and attempts to create a more liberalised state were crushed by Warsaw Pact troops in 1968 and led to a period of harsh repression for Czechoslovakians, Dubcek was exiled in 1969, whilst hundreds of thousands of party workers were expelled from the party and imprisoned or lost their jobs. After the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia gained independence through the ‘Velvet Revolution’ and an amicable split was agreed between the Slovaks and the Czechs. Following on from this split, under an authoritarian government, Slovakia turned away the West, rejecting from economic reform, NATO and the EU. Slovakian Economy Good economic progress has been made in changing from a planned to a market economy, although high unemployment remains a problem. |
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