Slovak Republic (1939–1945)

The **Slovak Republic**, was a client state of Nazi Germany which existed from 14 March 1939 until 4 April 1945.

## History

One day before the Nazi German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia, they declared independence from Czechoslovakia.  It has mostly the same borders as the modern-day Slovakia except for the regions which were ceded to Hungary in 1938. The Capital city was declared Bratislava, as it was good in terms of politics, economics and culture when it came to representing Slovakia.

### Jozef Tiso

Jozef Tiso, the founder and only President of the Slovak Republic, was a Catholic priest. He was a member of the pro-Nazi Catholic fascist Hlinka Slovak People's Party (HSL’S), which seized power in Slovakia, when Czechoslovakia was dismembered by Nazi Germany, and modelled Slovakia after Nazi Germany's totalitarian state.

### Hlinka Guard

The Slovak Hlinka Guard was a militia set up by Jozef Tiso to hunt down Jews, Roma and other "undesirable" minorities.

#### 1940–1942

In 1940, Jews were fired from their jobs and their properties taken over by Jozef Tiso's regime. Tiso's regime enacted the strictest laws against Jews – called _The Jewish Code_ – in Nazi-occupied European countries. Before the start Tiso's deportation of Jews in March 1942, about 88,951 Jews lived in Slovakia.

#### 1942–44

By November 1942, 57,000 Slovak Jews were handed over to the Germans by the Hlinka Guard, Slovak police and ethnic German Slovak SS volunteers. In the final three months of 1944, over 70,000 of the pre-deportation 88,951 Jews were deported to Nazi death camps, mostly Auschwitz and Theresienstadt, with over 60,000 of them slain. Tiso's regime paid Hitler 500 reichsmarks per deported Jew.

### End

In April 1945, the Slovak capital Bratislava was taken over by the Soviet Red Army, while Romanian troops took over other parts of Slovakia.

### Aftermath

Jozef Tiso was handed over by American troops to the Czechoslovak regime. Tiso was tried along with former Foreign Minister Ferdinand Durčanský and Interior Minister Alexander Mach. He was convicted of treason, and executed four days after.

## Related pages

- Independent State of Croatia

## Infobox (country)

- **conventional long name**: Slovak Republic
- **status**: Client state of Nazi Germany
- **p1**: Second Czechoslovak Republic
- **flag p1**: Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg
- **s1**: Third Czechoslovak Republic
- **flag s1**: Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg
- **image flag**: Flag of First Slovak Republic 1939-1945.svg
- **flag**: Flag of Slovakia
- **image coat**: Coat of Arms of the Slovak State (1939-1945).svg
- **coa size**: 70px
- **symbol**: Coat of arms of Slovakia
- **national motto**: _Verní sebe, svorne napred!_
<small>"Faithful to Ourselves, Together Ahead!"</small>
- **national anthem**: _Hej, Slováci_
<small></small>

- **image map**: Slovak Republic (1942).svg
- **image map caption**: The Slovak Republic in 1942
- **capital**: Bratislava
- **common languages**: Slovak language, Slovak, Hungarian language, Hungarian
- **religion**: Christianity
- **government type**: Clerical fascism, Clerical fascist One-party state, one-party republic under a
- **title leader**: President of Slovakia, President
- **leader1**: Jozef Tiso
- **year leader1**: 1939–1945
- **title deputy**: Prime Minister of Slovakia, Prime Minister
- **deputy1**: Jozef Tiso
- **year deputy1**: 1939
- **deputy2**: Vojtech Tuka
- **year deputy2**: 1939–1944
- **deputy3**: Štefan Tiso
- **year deputy3**: 1944–1945
- **era**: World War II
- **event start**: Independence
- **date start**: 14 March
- **year start**: 1939
- **event1**: War with Hungary
- **date event1**: 23 March 1939
- **date event2**: 21 July 1939
- **event3**: Invasion of Poland (1939), Invasion of Poland
- **date event3**: 1 September 1939
- **date event4**: 22 June 1941
- **event5**: National Uprising
- **date event5**: 29 August 1944
- **event end**: Fall of Bratislava
- **date end**: 4 April
- **year end**: 1945
- **currency**: Slovak koruna
- **today**: Slovakia
Poland