Hungarian-Czechoslovak War

* Affirmation of Slovak Soviet Republic
* Treaty of Prague

**Support from:**
 Russian SFSR Red Germany

**Support from:**
384 wounded
683 wounded
~1,000 captured

The **Hungarian-Czechoslovak War**, often known in communist historiography as the **Slovak Revolution**, and occasionally known in Hungary as the **Northern Campaign**, was a war between the Hungarian Soviet Republic and the Czechoslovak Republic between April and June 1919. It began as a border dispute over Slovakia, which had been part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was being occupied by Czechoslovak forces under the terms set out by the victorious Entente.

## Background

The Hungarian Soviet Republic had been established on 21 March 1919 after the President of the Hungarian People's Republic, Mihály Károlyi, handed power to the Social Democratic Party of Hungary, which, unbeknownst to him, had recently merged with the Party of Communists from Hungary to form the Hungarian Socialist Party.

The Entente had finalised the border between Slovakia and Hungary, up to which Czechoslovak forces were to occupy, on 20 March 1919. However, on 6 April, Hungarian forces entered Užhorod, the capital of Ruthenia, which had been designated to Czechoslovakia, and communist attacks were reported on Slovakia's southeastern border.

On the following day, Czechoslovakia's Minister of National Defence, Václav Klofáč, dispatched a confidential message to the Czechoslovak army commander, General Piccione, and to the commander of the Fourth Division at Poprad, General Hennocque, stating that they should stand by for orders to make an assault on the Hungarian Red Army. This attack was to be accompanied by an attack on Hungary by Romania.

## Beginning of the War

On 27 April, Minister Klofáč ordered an attack on the Hungarian Red Army and the occupation of the territory in Slovakia and Ruthenia designated to Czechoslovakia by the Entente. In some instances, however, the Czechoslovak army advanced beyond the demarcation line prescribed by the Entente, leading to an accusation by the Hungarian government that the Czechoslovaks had violated the Paris Agreement.

British Prime Minister Lloyd George and French Prime Minister Clemenceau condemned the Czech military operations, as did Czechoslovak Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edvard Beneš.

On 20 May, 1919, the Hungarian Red Army began a counteroffensive. The Hungarian forces consisted of at least four well-equipped army corps; Czechoslovak forces consisted of only two divisions. One week later General Piccione sent a message to Prague stating that his army was without ammunition.

Hungarian forces took Miskolc on 20 May, Lučenec on 30 May, Nové Zámky and Levice on 2 June, and  Košice on 6 June, when Hungarian patrols were also spotted near Bratislava. Czechoslovak forces put up barely any resistance. The Czechoslovak army in Ruthenia was soon separated from the army in the west.

The Slovak Soviet Republic was declared in Prešov on 16 June 1919.

## Armistice of Pressburg

On 18 June 1919, an armistice was signed between Hungary and Czechoslovakia, with a communist Slovak delegation present at the signing. The bulk of the Hungarian Red Army was transferred to the Romanian front, while Czech forces retreated from Slovakia and the Czech army in Ruthenia was permitted to return to Czech territory. Bratislava was demilitarised, and returned to the administration of its own workers' councils until its ultimate status was to be determined.