European Roots: the Case of Slovakia

Abstract

Shortly after Slovakia became independent in 1993, a study of its domestic politics in the first two years of independence indicates that the British press, according to Adam Burgess, ‘cast [Slovakia] as a probable member of that unenviable club, “the East,” a demon which apparently throws a dark shadow over Europe proper as the continent makes its way into the next century’.¹ After examining various issues that made the news in those two years, Burgess concludes: ‘It would appear then that British journalism on Slovakia has been hostage to an ideological agenda which is not the product of actual events within the country itself. The evidence does not suggest prejudice, but it would appear that events within Slovakia are interpreted through definite prisms.’² Why was Slovakia portrayed in this way in the British press? Did Slovakia ever belong to the ‘East’? What are Slovakia’s historical roots? The purpose of this chapter is to answer these questions and also to contribute to the elimination of certain misconceptions of Slovak history that still persist in the literature.³