SLOVAK HISTORIOGRAPHY AND CONSTRUCTING THE SLOVAK NATIONAL STORY UP TO 1948
SLOVAK HISTORIOGRAPHY AND CONSTRUCTING THE SLOVAK NATIONAL STORY UP TO 1948

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the paper is to analyse the development of Slovak historiography and the Slovak national story from its beginnings until 1948. The most important periods of the national story were identified on the basis of an analysis of the most important Slovak historical works of the period studied. The Slovak case is a typical example whereby a national story has been constructed despite the lack of a relevant state tradition. One of the major concerns of Slovak historiography has been to prove that the Slovaks have a national story which is distinct from those of the Czechs or the Hungarians. The seminal periods in the national story are those where the nation has been shown to be independent or autonomous. The development of views on particular nodal points open to dispute also depends on other factors such as the period, the historian’s aim, and ideological pressure. The aim by 1948 was the creation of an independent Slovak national story although its radical nationalist version was rejected after 1945.

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