republic · Balkans and Hungary

Slovak Soviet Republic

1919 CE – 1919 CE · capital Prešov

Communist puppet state proclaimed in eastern Slovakia in 1919 under the protection of the Hungarian Red Army, which lasted just three weeks.

Origins

In May and June 1919 the Hungarian Red Army of the Hungarian Soviet Republic pushed into Slovakia, recently claimed by Czechoslovakia, and took Košice and much of the east. On 16 June 1919, in Prešov, local and Hungarian communists proclaimed the Slovak Soviet Republic, led by the Czech communist Antonín Janoušek.

Rule and society

The republic had a Revolutionary Executive Committee modelled on the Hungarian council and copied its nationalisation decrees. It depended entirely on Hungarian troops and found little support among Slovaks, who largely saw it as a Hungarian attempt to reclaim the region.

Decline and legacy

Under Allied pressure, the Hungarian Red Army withdrew from Slovakia at the end of June 1919, and Czechoslovak forces moved in; the republic collapsed by 7 July 1919. Slovakia remained part of Czechoslovakia.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Slovak Soviet Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/slovak-soviet-republic
MLA
“Slovak Soviet Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/slovak-soviet-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Slovak Soviet Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/slovak-soviet-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Slovak Soviet Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/slovak-soviet-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻