Scholarly record

HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL PREREQUISITES FOR INITIATION OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES IN THE SLOVAK PART OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE SINCE THE 17TH AND 19TH CENTURY

L. Stefanikova, J. Kalicky

Abstract

The paper focuses upon an analysis and review of those phenomena, which were inevitable for democratisation processes of the Slovak part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and which helped to overcome Slovakia’s political, cultural, social and industrial backwardness up to that point when it got a potential to be transformed into an independent state and a sovereign political actor with its own political status, authenticity, cultural uniqueness, and pragmatism of relations with the Central European neighbours and peaceful co-existence with other European states. Thus, one of the main goals is to point to a comprehensive creation and genesis of the social and historical development of the political system by highlighting the basic assumptions and turning points within the Slovak political system’s development, as well as events that brought challenges for national activists of the arising Slovak nation. Emphasis is put on the period at the turn of the 17th and 18th century, as well as of the earlier 19th century, when Slovakia was a part of a more complex geopolitical unit. Via a historical perspective, the philosophy of Humanism and Reformation, which interconnected modern European trends with domestic thinkers, will be brought to light in order to reveal their influence on ideological orientation of forming political parties, educational domain, and basic constitutional principles.

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