Propaganda in the Slovak - Hungarian Relationship 1938 - 1945

Both regimes, Hungarian and also Slovak produced in years 1938-1945 huge propaganda campaigns. Main protagonists were state authorities. They were also creators of detail ideas of the matter, whether truthful or deceitful. Opinions of population of Slovak-Hungarian border-line were strongly affected by the fact that they were neighbouring with the country honoured as their home land. Hungarian propaganda helped to consolidate that Hungary is close not as a zone but also spiritually. The processs happened on the other side too and it caused intensive propaganda´s fights. Propaganda was able to raise emotions of inhabitans – from the passion to the apathy. The most common forms of propaganda were handing-out leaflets, tendencious maps, photographic material, ostentatious decoration of Hungarian train transporters, and mostly the verbal propaganda with the intensive exploitage of stereotype`s ethnic images. Its main topics were land profits, comparing the standards of living both in Slovakia and Hungary, cooments on political problems, and governmental relations with Berlin. This propaganda was many times seen as irreal or absurd. Until 1944, some rumours were resounded (especially that Hungary will occupy more parts of Slovakia) and this happened mostly under motive power parts of propaganda – The Hungarians in Slovakia. Antipropaganda of the Slovak national party Hlinkova slovenská ľudová strana had enough intensity not to be behind in its effort what is clearly seen in articles in the press of that period. History of this issue finishes with liberation of the country and with anulation of Munich and Viennese decreeses.