SNP80: Historian: Perception of SNP via Prism of Marxist Historiography Persists

Kosice, August 27 (TASR) - Slovak society still tends to perceive the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) through the prism of Marxist historiography, noted Martin Pekar, head of the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts of Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice. "There is still little emphasis on the fact that the main component of the uprising was the army of the then Slovak state, within whose environment the plan of resistance against the para-fascist people's regime was created and which dominated the SNP in terms of numbers, which is why the armed forces of the Slovak Republic espouse the tradition of the SNP," said Pekar. According to the historian, the political significance of the uprising, which lies in its reference to pluralism, isn't sufficiently emphasised. "The SNP managed to unite a large part of contemporary society in difficult, often existential conditions - regardless of religion, nationality or political affiliation. The insurgents and the people who helped them, despite the risk, decided to take the fate of the country into their own hands for the sake of a higher goal and, at least temporarily, even managed to build a functional model of Slovak statehood on insurgent territory," he said. From a military point of view, the uprising was, according to Pekar, particularly important in that it tied up part of the German army's forces, some 50,000 soldiers, and complicated supplies for the army, so that transferring materials to the front ceased to be smooth and secure. "When considering the significance of the uprising, however, it is not correct to focus solely on its military aspect, as it can be said that its political aspect was of equal, or perhaps even greater, importance," said the historian. Pekar also perceives the SNP as a message for the current divided political scene in Slovakia. "If I were to choose one idea and update it for today, it would be the idea of devotion to one's country, which found its realisation not in empty talk and insults to others, but in a willingness to sacrifice one's own life along with others for a vision of a country that will stand on the principles of democracy, humanism, morality, mutual respect and a better future. True, the partisans didn't go into battle knowing all these noble words, but it was their small actions and personal sacrifices that gave these words concrete, real content," remarked Pekar. zel/df