SNP80: Museum Offers Chance to Learn about Development of SNP Interpretations

Banska Bystrica, November 25 (TASR) - The anti-fascist resistance and the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) in our historiography after 1945 will be presented on Tuesday (November 26) in Banska Bystrica in a lecture by Karol Fremal, professor emeritus at Matej Bel University, TASR learnt from Dana Kurtikova, the manager of the Central Slovakia Museum (SSM), which is organising the event on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the SNP. Fremal devoted a considerable part of his scientific research to this period, which changed in view depending on the political regime. The first period (1945-1948) is represented by works of national and regional character by various authors who, after the liberation, sought to show and evaluate the anti-fascist struggle with all its forces and components. They are dominated by immediate experience without going deeper into heuristics. The second group (1949-1963) includes books, publications and brochures, which are characterised by lies and half-truths about the anti-fascist resistance, especially about the preparations, course and significance of the SNP. According to Fremal, between 1964 and 1969, we encounter works that fairly objectively evaluate the activities of the underground Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS), the Slovak National Council, military and partisan personalities, preparations, course and significance of the SNP. In the 1970-1989 period, in addition to the application of Marxist-Leninist criteria for the evaluation of historical facts, events and personalities, the works preferred mainly the activities of members of the underground Communist Party, especially Gustav Husak [the last socialist president of Czechoslovakia]. The anti-fascist resistance and the SNP were evaluated in the interest of the glorification and apologetics of the Communist Party of Slovakia, its officials and members, and partisans, stressed Fremal. From 1989 to the present day, works have been published attempting to objectively evaluate the activities of all branches of the anti-fascist resistance. am/mcs