Armed Anti-communist Resistance in Slovakia in the Postwar Years, 1948â1953: The Cases of AugustÃ­n LednickÃ½ and JÃ¡n ReÅ¡etko

Beata Katrebova Blehova

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Chapter 10 Armed Anti-communist Resistance in Slovakia in the Postwar Years, 1948â1953

The Cases of AugustÃn LednickÃ½ and JÃ¡n ReÅ¡etko

In: Violent Resistance

Author:

Beata Katrebova Blehova

Beata Katrebova Blehova
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 191â217

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.30965/9783657703043_011

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Summary

With few exceptions, the historiographical presentation of the subject of armed anti-Communist resistance in Slovakia in the first years after the war represents a scientific desideratum. It is the best-known chapter in Slovak postwar history and made up of the anti-Communist âWhite Legionâ movement with all its aspects, including its abuse by the State Security Service. The âWhite Legionâ movement was founded as a self-help organization by broad sections of the population as a means of protection against Communist terror and was, generally characterized by passive resistance. Under the specific conditions of the initial years after the communist dictatorship had been established, the movement also had an armed nature, particularly in eastern Slovakia. It should be noted, however, that the more general signs of resistance to the coming regime had already emerged in the trial against the former President of the Slovak Republic, Jozef Tiso, and after his death sentence had been passed in April 1947. This not only did not consolidate the unity of the state, but the Slovaks also remained permanently disaffected, and their confidence in state institutions was severely undermined. In 1949, popular uprisings broke out against the pro-regime Catholic Action, which aimed at separating the church and the state. These were the largest manifestations of anti-Communist resistance. A characteristic feature of the anti-Communist resistance in Slovakia is also its link to the activities of Slovak politicians in exile, who had been seeking to form a strong resistance movement since 1945. The essential goal of exile organizations after 1945 was to restore Slovak statehood and to eliminate the Communist regime and Soviet hegemony. These were the causes for which former members of the Slovak Army as well as former participants in the Uprising of autumn 1944 and former members of the Czechoslovak army were willing to risk their lives.

Summary in Slovak

HistoriografickÃ© spracovanie tematiky ozbrojenÃ©ho protikomunistickÃ©ho odporu na Slovensku v prvej povojnovej dekÃ¡de predstavuje aÅ¾ na pÃ¡r vÃ½nimiek vedeckÃ© deziderÃ¡tum. Najviac spracovanou sa dodnes javÃ pomerne znÃ¡ma kapitola v slovenskÃ½ch povojnovÃ½ch dejinÃ¡ch, ktorÃº tvorÃ protikomunistickÃ© hnutie âBiele lÃ©giaâ so vÅ¡etkÃ½mi aspektmi, ktorÃº toto pomerne Å¡irokÃ© hnutie reprezentovalo, nevynÃmajÃºc pri tom zneuÅ¾itie zo strany Å tÃ¡tnej bezpeÄnosti. Hnutie âBiela lÃ©giaâ bolo pri tom koncipovanÃ© ako svojpomocnÃ© hnutie Å¡irokÃ½ch vrstiev obyvateÄ¾stva ako ochrany proti komunistickÃ©mu teroru, ktorÃ© sa vÅ¡eobecne charakterizovalo ako pasÃvna rezistencia. V Å¡pecifickÃ½ch podmienkach prvÃ½ch rokov po nastolenÃ komunistickej diktatÃºry vÅ¡ak hnutie najmÃ¤ na vÃ½chodnom Slovensku malo aj ozbrojenÃ½ charakter. Popri tom je ale nutnÃ© konÅ¡tatovaÅ¥, Å¾e vÅ¡eobecnÃ© znÃ¡mky odporu proti nastÃ¡vajÃºcemu reÅ¾imu sa zaÄali ÄrtaÅ¥ uÅ¾ v sÃºvislosti s procesom proti bÃ½valÃ©mu prezidentovi Slovenskej republiky Jozefovi Tisovi a po vynesenÃ a vykonanÃ rozsudku trestu smrti sa nielen Å¾e neupevnila Å¡tÃ¡tna jednota, ale naopak vzÅ¥ah medzi Äechmi a SlovÃ¡kmi zostal natrvalo naruÅ¡enÃ½ a dÃ´vera v Å¡tÃ¡tne inÅ¡titÃºcie bola najmÃ¤ na Slovensku hlboko otrasenÃ¡. V roku 1949 boli Ä¾udovÃ© vzbury proti proreÅ¾imnej KatolÃckej akcii, cieÄ¾om ktorej bolo vyvolaÅ¥ rozkol medzi Cirkvou a Å¡tÃ¡tom, najvÃ¤ÄÅ¡Ãm prejavom protikomunistickÃ©ho odporu. Charakteristickou Ärtou protikomunistickÃ©ho odporu na Slovensku je jeho prepojenie na ÄinnosÅ¥ slovenskÃ©ho politickÃ©ho exilu, ktorÃ©ho ÄasÅ¥ sa uÅ¾ od roku 1945 usilovala o vybudovanie silnÃ©ho hnutia odporu. Nosnou myÅ¡lienkou exilovÃ½ch organizÃ¡ciÃ po roku 1945 bolo obnovenie slovenskej Å¡tÃ¡tnosti, odstrÃ¡nenie komunistickÃ©ho reÅ¾imu a sovietskej hegemÃ³nie. To boli myÅ¡lienky, pre ktorÃ© boli bÃ½valÃ prÃsluÅ¡nÃci Slovenskej armÃ¡dy, ale aj bÃ½valÃ ÃºÄastnÃci Povstania a bÃ½valÃ prÃsluÅ¡nÃci Äeskoslovenskej armÃ¡dy ochotnÃ riskovaÅ¥ svoje Å¾ivoty.

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Violent Resistance

From the Baltics to Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe 1944â1956

E-Book ISBN:: 9783657703043

Publisher:: Brill | SchÃ¶ningh

Print Publication Date:: 25 Jun 2020

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Chapter 10 Armed Anti-communist Resistance in Slovakia in the Postwar Years, 1948â1953

The Cases of AugustÃ­n LednickÃ½ and JÃ¡n ReÅ¡etko

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Summary in Slovak

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Violent Resistance

From the Baltics to Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe 1944â1956

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Chapter 10 Armed Anti-communist Resistance in Slovakia in the Postwar Years, 1948â1953

The Cases of AugustÃn LednickÃ½ and JÃ¡n ReÅ¡etko

From the Baltics to Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe 1944â1956