Editing Slovakia (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Slovakia}}
[[File:Moravianska venusa.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Moravany Venus|Venus]] from [[Moravany nad Váhom]], which dates back to 22,800 BC|245x245px]]
The oldest surviving human artefacts from Slovakia are found near [[Nové Mesto nad Váhom]] and are dated at 270,000&nbsp;BCE, in the [[Lower Paleolithic|Early Paleolithic]] era. These ancient tools, made by the [[Clactonian]] technique, bear witness to the ancient habitation of Slovakia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Neruda |first1=Petr |last2=Kaminská |first2=L.ubomira |title=Neanderthals at Bojnice in the Context of Central Europe |year=2013 |isbn=978-80-7028-407-0 |page=21 |publisher=Moravské Zemské Muzeum |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272944564 |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>

Other [[stone tool]]s from the [[Middle Paleolithic]] era (200,000–80,000&nbsp;BCE) come from the Prévôt (Prepoštská) cave in [[Bojnice]] and from other nearby sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muzeumpraveku.sk/ |title=Museum of Prehistoric |last=Museum of Prehistoric Prepoštská Cave |work=muzeumpraveku.sk |year=2011 |access-date=25 November 2011 |archive-date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201025837/https://muzeumpraveku.sk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The most important discovery from that era is a [[Neanderthal]] [[human skull|cranium]] (c. 200,000 BCE), discovered near [[Gánovce]], a village in northern Slovakia.

Archaeologists have found prehistoric human skeletons in the region, as well as numerous objects and vestiges of the [[Gravettian]] culture, principally in the river valleys of [[Nitra (river)|Nitra]], [[Hron]], [[Ipeľ]], [[Váh]] and as far as the city of [[Žilina]], and near the foot of the [[Vihorlat Mountains|Vihorlat]], Inovec, and [[Tribeč]] mountains, as well as in the [[Myjava]] Mountains. The most well-known finds include the oldest female statue made of [[mammoth]] bone (22,800&nbsp;BCE), the famous [[Venus of Moravany]]. The statue was found in the 1940s in [[Moravany nad Váhom]] near [[Piešťany]]. Numerous necklaces made of shells from Cypraca thermophile [[gastropoda|gastropods]] of the [[Tertiary]] period have come from the sites of Zákovská, Podkovice, Hubina, and Radošina. These findings provide the most ancient evidence of commercial exchanges carried out between the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] and [[Central Europe]].

=== Bronze Age ===
During the [[Bronze Age]], the geographical territory of modern-day Slovakia went through three stages of development, stretching from 2000 to 800&nbsp;BCE. <!--I am not sure what the following sentences mean, so I put them into this comment: To this, their period belongs the well-known funeral culture of the [[Little Carpathians|Carpathians]] and that of the middle [[Danube]]. During the later Neolithic Age a considerable growth in cultural regions took place in Slovakia.--> Major cultural, economic, and political development can be attributed to the significant growth in production of copper, especially in central Slovakia (for example in [[Špania Dolina]]) and northwest Slovakia. [[Copper]] became a stable source of prosperity for the local population.

After the disappearance of the [[Čakany]] and [[Velatice]] cultures, the [[Lusatian culture|Lusatian]] people expanded building of strong and complex fortifications, with the large permanent buildings and administrative centres. Excavations of Lusatian [[Hillfort|hill forts]] document the substantial development of trade and agriculture at that period. The richness and diversity of tombs increased considerably. The inhabitants of the area manufactured arms, shields, jewellery, dishes, and statues.

=== Iron Age ===
[[File:Boii Biatec 1st. cen BC 2940416.jpg|thumb|[[Biatec]], presumably a king, who appeared on the Celtic coins minted by the [[Boii]] at the current location of Bratislava, 1st century B.C.]]

==== Hallstatt Period ====
The arrival of tribes from [[Thrace]] disrupted the people of the Kalenderberg culture, who lived in the hamlets located on the plain ([[Sereď]]) and in the hill forts like Molpír, near [[Smolenice]], in the [[Little Carpathians]]. During Hallstatt times, monumental burial mounds were erected in western Slovakia, with princely equipment consisting of richly decorated vessels, ornaments and decorations. The burial rites consisted entirely of cremation. Common people were buried in flat urnfield cemeteries.

A special role was given to weaving and the production of textiles. The local power of the "Princes" of the [[Hallstatt culture|Hallstatt period]] disappeared in Slovakia during the century before the middle of first millennium BCE, after strife between the [[Scythians|Scytho]]-Thracian people and locals, resulting in abandonment of the old hill-forts. Relatively depopulated areas soon caught the interest of emerging [[Celts|Celtic]] tribes, who advanced from the south towards the north, following the Slovak rivers, peacefully integrating into the remnants of the local population.

==== La Tène Period ====
From around 500&nbsp;BCE, the territory of modern-day Slovakia was settled by [[Celt]]s, who built powerful ''[[oppida]]'' on the sites of modern-day [[Bratislava]] and [[Devín]]. [[Biatec]]s, [[silver coin]]s with inscriptions in the Latin alphabet, represent the first known use of writing in Slovakia. At the northern regions, remnants of the local population of Lusatian origin, together with Celtic and later Dacian influence, gave rise to the unique [[Púchov culture]], with advanced crafts and iron-working, many hill-forts and fortified settlements of central type with the coinage of the "Velkobysterecky" type (no inscriptions, with a horse on one side and a head on the other). This culture is often connected with the Celtic tribe mentioned in Roman sources as [[Cotini]].

==== Roman Period ====
[[File:Trencin-Roman2.JPG|thumb|A Roman inscription at the castle hill of [[Trenčín]] (178–179 AD)]]
From 2&nbsp;[[Common Era|CE]], the expanding [[Roman Empire]] established and maintained a series of outposts around and just south of the [[Danube]], the largest of which were known as [[Carnuntum]] (whose remains are on the main road halfway between [[Vienna]] and [[Bratislava]]) and [[Brigetio]] (present-day [[Szőny]] at the Slovak-Hungarian border). Such Roman border settlements were built on the present area of [[Rusovce]], currently a suburb of [[Bratislava]]. The military fort was surrounded by a civilian [[vicus]] and several farms of the [[villa rustica]] type. The name of this settlement was [[Gerulata]]. The military fort had an auxiliary cavalry unit, approximately 300 horses strong, modelled after the [[Cananefates]]. The remains of Roman buildings have also survived in [[Stupava, Slovakia|Stupava]], [[Devín Castle]], Bratislava Castle Hill, and the Bratislava-[[Dúbravka, Bratislava|Dúbravka]] suburb.

Near the northernmost line of the Roman hinterlands, the [[Limes Romanus]], there existed the winter camp of [[Trenčín|Laugaricio]] (modern-day [[Trenčín]]) where the Auxiliary of Legion&nbsp;II fought and prevailed in a decisive battle over the Germanic [[Quadi]] tribe in 179&nbsp;CE during the [[Marcomannic Wars]]. The Kingdom of [[Vannius]], a kingdom founded by the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Suebi]] tribes of [[Quadi]] and [[Marcomanni]], as well as several small Germanic and [[List of Celtic tribes|Celtic tribes]], including the Osi and [[Cotini]], existed in western and central Slovakia from 8–6&nbsp;BCE to 179&nbsp;CE.

=== Great invasions from the fourth to seventh centuries ===
In the second and third centuries CE, the [[Huns]] began to leave the [[Eurasian Steppe|Central Asian steppes]]. They crossed the Danube in 377&nbsp;CE and occupied [[Pannonia]], which they used for 75&nbsp;years as their base for launching looting-raids into Western Europe. However, [[Attila]]'s death in 453 brought about the disappearance of the [[Huns|Hunnic empire]]. In 568, a Turko-Mongol tribal confederacy, the [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]], conducted its invasion into the Middle Danube region. The Avars occupied the lowlands of the [[Pannonian Plain]] and established an empire dominating the [[Pannonian Basin|Carpathian Basin]].

In [[623]], the [[Early Slavs|Slavic population]] living in the western parts of Pannonia seceded from their empire after a revolution led by [[Samo]], a Frankish merchant.<ref name="Történeti Kronológia">{{cite book|last=Benda|first=Kálmán|title=Magyarország történeti kronológiája ''("The Historical Chronology of Hungary")''|publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó|year=1981|location=Budapest|page=44|isbn=963-05-2661-1}}</ref> After 626, the Avar power started a gradual decline<ref>Kristó, p.30–31</ref> but its reign lasted to 804.

=== Slavic states ===
The [[Slavs|Slavic]] tribes settled in the territory of present-day Slovakia in the fifth century. Western Slovakia was the centre of [[Samo]]'s empire in the seventh century. A Slavic state known as the [[Principality of Nitra]] arose in the eighth century and its ruler [[Pribina]] had the first known Christian church of the territory of present-day Slovakia consecrated by 828. Together with neighbouring [[Moravia]], the principality formed the core of the [[Great Moravia]]n Empire from 833. The high point of this Slavonic empire came with the arrival of [[Saints Cyril and Methodius]] in 863, during the reign of [[Duke]] [[Rastislav of Moravia|Rastislav]], and the territorial expansion under [[King]] [[Svätopluk I]].

==== Great Moravia (830–before 907) ====
{{Main|Great Moravia}}

[[File:Cyril a metod zilina.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|A statue of [[Saints Cyril and Methodius|Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius]] in [[Žilina]]. In 863, they introduced [[Christianity]] to what is now Slovakia.]]

Great Moravia arose around 830 when [[Mojmir I of Moravia|Mojmír I]] unified the [[Slavs|Slavic]] tribes settled north of the [[Danube]] and extended the Moravian supremacy over them.<ref>'Europe', p.360</ref> When Mojmír I endeavoured to secede from the supremacy of the king of [[East Francia]] in 846, King [[Louis the German]] deposed him and assisted Mojmír's nephew [[Rastislav of Moravia|Rastislav]] (846–870) in acquiring the throne.<ref name="Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon">{{cite book|last=Kristó|first=Gyula|title=Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9–14. század) |trans-title=Encyclopedia of Early Hungarian History – 9th–14th centuries |publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó|year=1994|location=Budapest|page=467|isbn=963-05-6722-9}}</ref> The new monarch pursued an independent policy: after stopping a Frankish attack in 855, he also sought to weaken the influence of Frankish priests preaching in his realm. [[Rastislav of Moravia|Duke Rastislav]] asked the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Emperor]] [[Michael III]] to send teachers who would interpret Christianity in the Slavic vernacular.

On Rastislav's request, two brothers, Byzantine officials and missionaries [[Saints Cyril and Methodius]] came in 863. Cyril developed the [[Glagolitic alphabet|first Slavic alphabet]] and translated the Gospel into the [[Old Church Slavonic]] language. Rastislav was also preoccupied with the security and administration of his state. Numerous fortified castles built throughout the country are dated to his reign and some of them (e.g.,&nbsp;''Dowina'', sometimes identified with [[Devín Castle]])<ref name="worldarcheology">{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/00438243.1978.9979728|title=The Origins of Christianity in Slavonic Countries North of the Middle Danube Basin|journal=World Archaeology|year=1978|first=Josef|last=Poulik|volume=10|issue=2|pages=158–171|issn = 0043-8243 }}</ref><ref name="caplovic">{{cite book|last=Čaplovič|first=Dušan|author2=Viliam Čičaj |author3=Dušan Kováč |author4=Ľubomír Lipták |author5=Ján Lukačka |title=Dejiny Slovenska|publisher=AEP|year=2000|location=Bratislava}}</ref> are also mentioned in connection with Rastislav by Frankish chronicles.<ref>pages=167, 566</ref>{{full citation needed |date=March 2025}}<ref name="fulda">{{cite book|title=Annales Fuldenses, sive, Annales regni Francorum orientalis ab Einhardo, Ruodolfo, Meginhardo Fuldensibus, Seligenstadi, Fuldae, Mogontiaci conscripti cum continuationibus Ratisbonensi et Altahensibus / post editionem G.&nbsp;H.&nbsp;Pertzii recognovit Friderious Kurze; Accedunt Annales Fuldenses antiquissimi|publisher=Imprensis Bibliopolii Hahniani|year=1978|location=Hanover|url=http://www.medievalsources.co.uk/fulda.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312020323/http://www.medievalsources.co.uk/fulda.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 March 2007|access-date=26 September 2009}}</ref>

During Rastislav's reign, the [[Principality of Nitra]] was given to his nephew [[Svatopluk I of Moravia|Svätopluk]] as an [[appanage]].<ref name="caplovic"/> The rebellious prince allied himself with the Franks and overthrew his uncle in 870. Similarly to his predecessor, Svätopluk I (871–894) assumed the title of the king (''rex''). During his reign, the Great Moravian Empire reached its greatest territorial extent, when not only present-day [[Moravia]] and Slovakia but also present-day northern and [[central Hungary]], [[Lower Austria]], [[Bohemia]], [[Silesia]], [[Lusatia]], southern Poland and [[Vojvodina|northern Serbia]] belonged to the empire, but the exact borders of his domains are still disputed by modern authors.<ref name="Tóth">{{cite book|last=Tóth|first=Sándor László|title=Levediától a Kárpát-medencéig ''("From Levedia to the Carpathian Basin")''|publisher=Szegedi Középkorász Műhely|year=1998|location=Szeged|page=199|isbn=963-482-175-8}}</ref> Svatopluk also withstood attacks of the [[Hungarians|Magyar]] tribes and the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]], although sometimes it was he who hired the Magyars when waging war against [[East Francia]].<ref>page=51</ref>

In 880, [[Pope John&nbsp;VIII]] set up an independent [[ecclesiastical province]] in Great Moravia with Archbishop [[Saints Cyril and Methodius|Methodius]] as its head. He also named the German cleric [[Wiching]] the Bishop of [[Nitra]].
[[File:Great Moravia.svg|thumb|left|Certain and disputed borders of Great Moravia under [[Svatopluk I of Moravia|Svatopluk I]] (according to modern historians)]]

After the death of Prince Svatopluk in 894, his sons [[Mojmir II of Moravia|Mojmír&nbsp;II]] (894–906?) and [[Svatopluk&nbsp;II]] succeeded him as the Prince of Great Moravia and the Prince of Nitra respectively.<ref name="caplovic"/> However, they started to quarrel for domination of the whole empire. Weakened by an internal conflict as well as by constant warfare with [[Eastern Francia]], Great Moravia lost most of its peripheral territories.

In the meantime, the semi-nomadic Magyar tribes, possibly having suffered defeat from the similarly nomadic [[Pechenegs]], left their territories east of the [[Carpathian Mountains]],<ref>{{cite book|title=A Country Study: Hungary|publisher=Federal Research Division, [[Library of Congress]]|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+hu0013)|access-date=6 March 2009|archive-date=29 October 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041029114728/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd%2Fcstdy%3A%40field%28DOCID+hu0013%29|url-status=live}}</ref> invaded the [[Carpathian Basin]] and started to occupy the territory gradually around 896.<ref>pages=189–211</ref>{{full citation needed |date=March 2025}} Their armies' advance may have been promoted by continuous wars among the countries of the region whose rulers still hired them occasionally to intervene in their struggles.<ref name="Kristó 2">{{cite book|last=Kristó|first=Gyula|title=Magyar honfoglalás – honfoglaló magyarok ''("The Hungarians' Occupation of their Country – The Hungarians occupying their Country")''|publisher=Kossuth Könyvkiadó|year=1996|pages=84–85|isbn=963-09-3836-7}}</ref>

It is not known what happened with both Mojmír&nbsp;II and Svatopluk&nbsp;II because they are not mentioned in written sources after 906. In [[Battle of Pressburg|three battles]] (4–5&nbsp;July and 9&nbsp;August 907) near [[Bratislava]], the Magyars routed [[Bavaria]]n armies. Some historians put this year as the date of the break-up of the Great Moravian Empire, due to the Hungarian conquest; other historians take the date a little bit earlier (to 902).

Great Moravia left behind a lasting legacy in Central and Eastern Europe. The [[Glagolitic alphabet|Glagolitic script]] and its successor [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] were disseminated to other Slavic countries, charting a new path in their [[Sociocultural evolution|sociocultural development]].

=== The Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire (1000–1918) ===
{{Main|Kingdom of Hungary|Habsburg monarchy|Ottoman Empire}}

[[File:Istvan-ChroniconPictum.jpg|thumb|[[Stephen I of Hungary|Stephen I]], [[King of Hungary]]]]

Following the disintegration of the [[Great Moravian Empire]] at the turn of the tenth century, the [[Hungarian people|Hungarians]] annexed the territory comprising modern Slovakia. After their defeat on the [[Battle of Lechfeld|river Lech]], the Hungarians abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in the centre of the Carpathian valley, slowly adopting Christianity and began to build a new state—the [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungarian kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://loststory.net/node/71 |title=The kingdom of Hungary |publisher=loststory.net |access-date=15 February 2015 |archive-date=11 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611020526/http://loststory.net/node/71 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the years 1001–1002 and 1018–1029, Slovakia was part of the [[Kingdom of Poland]], having been conquered by [[Boleslaus I the Brave]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/827000163|title=Ottov historický atlas Slovensko|year=2012|publisher=Ottovo Nakladatelství|others=Pavol Kršák, Daniel Gurňák|isbn=978-80-7360-834-7|location=Praha|oclc=827000163|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=27 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027063740/https://www.worldcat.org/title/827000163|url-status=live}}</ref> After the territory of Slovakia was returned to Hungary, a semi-autonomous polity continued to exist (or was created in 1048 by king [[Andrew I of Hungary|Andrew I]]) called [[Duchy of Nitra]]. Comprising roughly the territory of [[Principality of Nitra]] and [[Bihar County|Bihar principality]], they formed what was called a ''tercia pars regni'', third of a kingdom.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Steinhübel|first=Ján|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/966315215|title=Nitrianské kniežatstvo : počiatky stredovekého Slovenska = The duchy of Nitra, the beginnings of the medieval Slovakia|year=2016|isbn=978-80-85501-64-3|edition=Druhé prepracované a doplnené vydanie|location=Bratislava|oclc=966315215|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=27 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027063744/https://www.worldcat.org/title/966315215|url-status=live}}</ref>

This polity existed up until 1108/1110, after which it was not restored. After this, up until the collapse of [[Austria-Hungary]] in 1918, the territory of Slovakia was an integral part of the Hungarian state.<ref>{{cite book|author=Felak, James Ramon |title=At the Price of the Republic: Hlinka's Slovak People's Party, 1929–1938|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sOlD_8Kw0K0C&pg=PA3|date=15 June 1995|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Pre|isbn=978-0-8229-7694-3|pages=3–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Schuster, Rudolf |title=The Slovak Republic: A Decade of Independence, 1993–2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Brjcd07bN6sC&pg=PA71|date=January 2004|publisher=Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers|isbn=978-0-86516-568-7|pages=71–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Prokhorov, A. M.|page=71|title=Great Soviet Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0kNAQAAMAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Macmillan}}</ref> The ethnic composition of Slovakia became more diverse with the arrival of the [[Carpathian Germans]] in the 13th century and the [[Jews]] in the 14th century.

A significant decline in the population resulted from the [[Mongol invasion of Europe|invasion of the Mongols]] in 1241 and the subsequent famine. After the invasion, much of the territory was destroyed, but was recovered largely thanks to Hungarian king [[Béla IV of Hungary|Béla IV]]. However, in medieval times the area of Slovakia was characterised by German and [[Jewish]] immigration, burgeoning towns, construction of numerous stone castles, and the cultivation of the arts.<ref name="tibensky">{{cite book|author=Tibenský, Ján|title=Slovensko: Dejiny|publisher=Obzor|year=1971|location=Bratislava|display-authors=etal}}</ref> The arrival of German element sometimes proved a problem for the autochthonous Slovaks (and even Hungarians in the broader Hungary), since they often quickly gained most power in medieval towns, only to later refuse to share it. Breaking of old customs by Germans often resulted in national quarrels. One of which had to be sorted out by the king [[Louis I of Hungary|Louis I.]] with the proclamation [[Privilegium pro Slavis]] (Privilege for Slovaks) in the year 1381. According to this privilege, Slovaks and [[Carpathian Germans|Germans]] were to occupy each half of the seats in the city council of [[Žilina]] and the mayor should be elected each year, alternating between those nationalities. This would not be the last such case.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/164889878|title=Žilina v slovenských dejinách : zborník z vedeckej konferencie k 620. výročiu udelenia výsad pre žilinských Slovákov : Žilina 7. mája 2001|year=2002|publisher=Knižné Centrum Vyd|others=Richard Marsina|isbn=80-8064-158-7|location=Žilina|oclc=164889878|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=27 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027063744/https://www.worldcat.org/title/164889878|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:1franci2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|One of the commanders of a Slovak volunteers' army captain [[Ján Francisci-Rimavský]] during the [[Slovak Uprising of 1848–49|fight for independence from the Kingdom of Hungary]]]]

In 1465, King [[Matthias Corvinus of Hungary|Matthias Corvinus]] founded the Hungarian Kingdom's third university, in Pressburg ([[Bratislava]]), but it was closed in 1490 after his death.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=City of Bratislava|url=http://www4.bratislava.sk/en/vismo5/dokumenty2.asp?u=700000&id_org=700000&id=2009414&|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507064915/http://www4.bratislava.sk/en/vismo5/dokumenty2.asp?u=700000&id_org=700000&id=2009414&|archive-date=7 May 2008|title=Academia Istropolitana|date=14 February 2005|access-date=5 January 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Hussites]] also settled in the region after the [[Hussite Wars]].<ref name="books.google.pl">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5qgHE29pikMC&q=turks+in+upper+hungary&pg=PA85|title=The History of the Czech Republic and Slovakia|first=William|last=Mahoney|date=18 February 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313363061|via=Google Books|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=21 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121210619/https://books.google.com/books?id=5qgHE29pikMC&q=turks+in+upper+hungary&pg=PA85|url-status=live}}</ref>

Owing to the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s expansion into Hungarian territory, [[Bratislava]] was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, ahead of the fall of the old Hungarian capital of [[Buda]] in 1541. It became part of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy, marking the beginning of a new era. The territory comprising modern Slovakia, then known as [[Upper Hungary]], became the place of settlement for nearly two-thirds of the [[Magyar tribes|Magyar]] nobility fleeing the Turks and became far more linguistically and culturally Hungarian than it was before.<ref name="books.google.pl"/> Partly thanks to old [[Hussite]] families and Slovaks studying under [[Martin Luther]], the region then experienced a growth in [[Protestantism]].<ref name="books.google.pl"/> For a short period in the 17th century, most Slovaks were [[Lutherans]].<ref name="books.google.pl"/> They defied the Catholic Habsburgs and sought protection from neighbouring [[Transylvania]], a rival continuation of the [[Magyar tribes|Magyar]] state that practised religious tolerance and normally had Ottoman backing. Upper Hungary, modern Slovakia, became the site of frequent wars between Catholics in the west territory and Protestants in the east, as well as against Turks; the frontier was on a constant state of military alert and heavily fortified by castles and citadels often manned by Catholic German and Slovak troops on the Habsburg side. By 1648, Slovakia was not spared the [[Counter-Reformation]], which brought the majority of its population from Lutheranism back to [[Roman Catholicism]]. In 1655, the printing press at the [[Trnava]] university produced the Jesuit Benedikt Szöllősi's Cantus Catholici, a Catholic hymnal in Slovak that reaffirmed links to the earlier works of Cyril and Methodius.

The [[Ottoman wars in Europe|Ottoman wars]], the rivalry between Austria and [[Transylvania]], and the frequent insurrections against the [[Habsburg monarchy]] inflicted a great deal of devastation, especially in the rural areas.<ref>"[http://www.slovakiasite.com/history-hungary.php Part of Hungary, Turkish occupation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609042837/https://www.slovakiasite.com/history-hungary.php |date=9 June 2023 }}". Slovakiasite.com</ref> In the [[Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664)]] a Turkish army led by the [[Grand Vizier]] decimated Slovakia.<ref name="books.google.pl"/> In 1682, the [[Principality of Upper Hungary]], a short-lived Ottoman vassal state, was established in the territory of modern Slovakia. Prior to this, regions on its southern rim were already encompassed in the [[Eğri Eyalet|Egri]], [[Budin Eyalet|Budin]] and [[Uyvar Eyalet|Uyvar]] [[eyalet]]s.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |year=2010 |title=The Ottoman history of Slovakia |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20035850/the-ottoman-history-of-slovakia.html |access-date=30 December 2023 |website=The Slovak Spectator |language=en |archive-date=26 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026214449/https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20035850/the-ottoman-history-of-slovakia.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Ágoston |first=Gábor |year=1998 |title=HABSBURGS AND OTTOMANS: Defense, Military Change and Shifts in Power |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43385414 |journal=Turkish Studies Association Bulletin |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=126–141 |jstor=43385414 |issn=0275-6048 |access-date=30 December 2023 |archive-date=16 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216230630/https://www.jstor.org/stable/43385414 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Emeric Thököly|Thököly]]'s [[kuruc]] rebels from the Principality of Upper Hungary fought alongside the Turks against the Austrians and Poles at the [[Battle of Vienna]] of 1683 led by [[John III Sobieski]]. As the [[Great Turkish War|Turks withdrew]] from Hungary in the late 17th century, the importance of the territory composing modern Slovakia decreased, although [[Pressburg]] retained its status as the capital of Hungary until 1848 when it was transferred back to Buda.<ref>[http://www.slovakiasite.com/bratislava.php Bratislava] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727172329/https://www.slovakiasite.com/bratislava.php |date=27 July 2023 }}. Slovakiasite.com</ref>

During the [[Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas|revolution of 1848–49]], the Slovaks supported the [[Emperor of Austria|Austrian Emperor]], hoping for independence from the Hungarian part of the [[Austria-Hungary|Dual Monarchy]], they failed to achieve their aim, but the conflict resulted in Slovak rights for language. 

Thereafter, relations between the nationalities deteriorated (see [[Magyarisation]]), culminating in the secession of Slovakia from Hungary after World War I.<ref>{{cite web|title=Divided Memories: The Image of the First World War in the Historical Memory of Slovaks|publisher=Slovak Sociological Review, Issue 3|year=2003|url=http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=d5aaf7a2-7ccf-4f83-9409-e74d93a37525&articleId=283fe9e3-f8ed-463a-92cd-69ec0cb28b52|access-date=25 November 2012|archive-date=15 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315170139/https://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=d5aaf7a2-7ccf-4f83-9409-e74d93a37525&articleId=283fe9e3-f8ed-463a-92cd-69ec0cb28b52|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Czechoslovak independence (1918–1939) ===
{{Main|Dissolution of Austria-Hungary|Czechoslovakia|First Czechoslovak Republic|Munich Agreement|Second Czechoslovak Republic}}
{{See also|Slovak Soviet Republic|Autonomous Land of Slovakia}}

[[File:Masaryk Independence Hall2.jpg|thumb|[[Czechoslovak declaration of independence]] by [[Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk]] in the United States, 1918]]

On 18 October 1918, [[Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk]], [[Milan Rastislav Štefánik]] and [[Edvard Beneš]] declared in [[Washington, D.C.]] the [[Czechoslovak declaration of independence|independence]] for the territories of [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]], [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravia]], [[Silesia]], [[Upper Hungary]] and [[Carpathian Ruthenia]] from the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] and proclaimed a common state, [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]]. 

During the chaos following the break-up of Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia was formed with numerous [[Czechs]], [[German people|Germans]], [[Slovaks]], [[Hungarians]] and [[Ruthenians]]. The borders were set by the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Treaty of Saint Germain]] in 1919 and [[Treaty of Trianon]] in 1920. By the treaties following the World War I, Czechoslovakia emerged as a sovereign European state.

[[File:Signature de la Paix avec la Hongrie, en tête Benárd Ágost hongrois(passant devant un piquet d'honneur à Versailles).jpg|thumb|right|The Hungarian delegation arriving to [[Grand Trianon|Grand Trianon Palace]] at [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]], to sign [[Treaty of Trianon]], that cede territory of Slovakia ([[Upper Hungary]]) to Czechoslovakia after [[World War I]], 1920]]

During the [[Interwar period]], democratic Czechoslovakia was allied with France, and also with [[Romania]] and [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] ([[Little Entente]]); however, the [[Locarno Treaties]] of 1925 left East European security open. Both Czechs and Slovaks enjoyed a period of relative prosperity. There was progress in not only the development of the country's economy but also culture and educational opportunities. Yet the [[Great Depression]] caused a sharp economic downturn, followed by political disruption and insecurity in Europe.<ref>J.&nbsp;V.&nbsp;Polisencky, ''History of Czechoslovakia in Outline'' (Prague: Bohemia International 1947) at 113–114.</ref>

In the 1930s, Czechoslovakia came under continuous pressure from the [[Revanchism|revanchist]] governments of Germany, Hungary and Poland who used the aggrieved minorities in the country as a useful vehicle. Revision of the borders was called for, as Czechs constituted only 43% of the population. Eventually, this pressure led to the [[Munich Agreement]] of September 1938, which allowed the majority ethnic Germans in the [[Sudetenland]], borderlands of Czechoslovakia, to join with Germany. The remaining minorities stepped up their pressures for autonomy and the State became federalised, with Diets in Slovakia and Ruthenia. The remainder of Czechoslovakia was renamed Czecho-Slovakia and promised a greater degree of Slovak political autonomy. This, however, failed to materialise.<ref>''Documents on British Foreign Policy 1919–1939'' edited by Professor E. L. Woodward, Roham Butler, M.A., and [[Margaret Lambert]], PhD., Third Series, vol.iv, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1951, pps:94–99: 'Memorandum on the Present Political Situation in Slovakia'.</ref> Parts of southern and eastern Slovakia were also reclaimed by Hungary at the [[First Vienna Award]] of November 1938.

=== Fascist regime during World War II (1939–1945) ===
{{Main|Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|Slovakia during World War II|Slovak National Uprising}}
{{See also|Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945)|Czechoslovak government-in-exile|Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia}}

[[File:Jozef Tiso (Berlin).jpg|thumb|[[Adolf Hitler]] greeting [[Jozef Tiso]], president of the (First) [[Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|Slovak Republic]], a client state of Nazi Germany during World War II, 1941]]
After the [[Munich Agreement]] and its [[Vienna Award]], [[Nazi Germany]] threatened to annex part of Slovakia and allow the remaining regions to be partitioned by Hungary or Poland unless independence was declared. Thus, Slovakia seceded from [[Second Czechoslovak Republic|Czecho-Slovakia]] in March 1939 and allied itself, as demanded by Germany, with [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]'s coalition.<ref>Gerhard L. Weinberg, ''The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany: Starting World War II, 1937–1939'' (Chicago, 1980), pp. 470–481.</ref> Secession had created the first Slovak state in history.<ref name="RadioPrague">{{cite web|author=Dominik Jůn interviewing Professor Jan Rychlík|title=Czechs and Slovaks – more than just neighbours|publisher=Radio Prague|year=2016|url=http://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/czechs-and-slovaks-more-than-just-neighbours|access-date=28 October 2016|archive-date=29 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029043631/http://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/czechs-and-slovaks-more-than-just-neighbours|url-status=live}}</ref> 

A [[one-party state|one-party]] [[Clerical fascism|clerical fascist]] [[Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|Slovak Republic]] governed by the far-right [[Slovak People's Party|Hlinka's Slovak People's Party]] was led by President [[Jozef Tiso]] and Prime Minister [[Vojtech Tuka]]. The (First) Slovak Republic is primarily known for its [[collaborationism|collaboration]] with Nazi Germany, which included sending troops to the [[Slovak invasion of Poland|invasion of Poland]] in [[September Campaign|September 1939]] and the  [[Operation Barbarossa|Soviet Union]] in 1941. On 24&nbsp;November 1940, Slovakia joined the [[Axis powers|Axis]] when its leaders signed the [[Tripartite Pact]]. The country was strongly influenced by Germany and gradually became a [[puppet state|puppet regime]] in many respects. 

Meanwhile, the [[Czechoslovak government-in-exile]] sought to reverse the [[Munich Agreement]] and the subsequent [[German occupation of Czechoslovakia]] and to return the Republic to its 1937 boundaries. The government operated from [[London]] and it was ultimately considered, by those countries that recognised it, the legitimate government for [[Czechoslovakia]] throughout the Second World War.

The [[History of the Jews in Slovakia|local Jewish population]] was heavily persecuted.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 May 2022 |title=Slovaks condemn WWII deportations of Jews to Nazi death camps |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/slovaks-condemn-wwii-deportations-of-jews-to-nazi-death-camps |access-date=31 December 2023 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en |archive-date=31 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231230228/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/slovaks-condemn-wwii-deportations-of-jews-to-nazi-death-camps |url-status=live }}</ref> As part of the [[Holocaust in Slovakia]], 75,000 Jews out of 80,000 who remained on Slovak territory after Hungary had seized southern regions were deported and taken to German [[death camps]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=20 May 1946|title=Obžaloba pri Národnom súde v Bratislave|journal=Spis Onľud 17/46}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Daxner|first=Igor|date=25 July 1946|title=Rozsudok Národného súdu v Bratislave|journal=Spis Tnľud 17/1946}}</ref> Thousands of Jews, Gypsies and other politically undesirable people remained in Slovak forced labour camps in [[Sereď concentration camp|Sereď]], Vyhne, and Nováky.<ref>Leni Yahil, ''The Holocaust: The Fate of European Jewry, 1932–1945'' (Oxford, 1990), pp. 402–403.</ref> Tiso, through the granting of presidential exceptions, allowed between 1,000 and 4,000 people crucial to the war economy to avoid deportations.<ref>For the higher figure, see Milan S. Ďurica, ''The Slovak Involvement in the Tragedy of the European Jews'' (Abano Terme: Piovan Editore, 1989), p. 12; for the lower figure, see Gila Fatran, "The Struggle for Jewish Survival During the Holocaust" in ''The Tragedy of the Jews of Slovakia'' (Banská Bystrica, 2002), p. 148.</ref>
Under Tiso's government and Hungarian occupation, the vast majority of Slovakia's pre-war Jewish population (between 75,000 and 105,000 individuals including those who perished from the occupied territory) were murdered.<ref>Dawidowicz, Lucy. [[The War Against the Jews]], Bantam, 1986. p. 403</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Rebekah Klein-Pejšová|title=An overview of the history of Jews in Slovakia|work=Slovak Jewish Heritage|publisher=Synagoga Slovaca|year=2006|url=http://www.slovak-jewish-heritage.org/history-of-jews-in-slovakia.html|access-date=28 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905025639/http://www.slovak-jewish-heritage.org/history-of-jews-in-slovakia.html|archive-date=5 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Slovak state paid Germany 500 [[Reichsmark|RM]] per every deported Jew for "retraining and accommodation" (a similar but smaller payment of 30 RM was paid by [[Independent State of Croatia|Croatia]]).<ref>Nižňanský, Eduard (2010). ''Nacizmus, holokaust, slovenský štát'' [Nazism, holocaust, Slovak state] (in Slovak). Bratislava: Kalligram. {{ISBN|978-80-8101-396-6}}.</ref>

After it became clear that the Soviet [[Red Army]] was going to push the Nazis out of eastern and central Europe, an anti-Nazi [[resistance movement]] launched. Internal opposition to the fascist government's policies culminated in the [[Slovak National Uprising]], near the end of summer 1944. A bloody German occupation and a guerilla war followed. Germans and their [[Hlinka Guard|local collaborators]] completely destroyed 93 villages and massacred thousands of civilians, often hundreds at a time.<ref>"[http://travel.spectator.sme.sk/articles/80/slovenske_narodne_povstanie_the_slovak_national_uprising Slovenské Národné Povstanie – the Slovak national uprising] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016032830/http://travel.spectator.sme.sk/articles/80/slovenske_narodne_povstanie_the_slovak_national_uprising |date=16 October 2015 }}". [[SME (newspaper)|SME.sk]].</ref> Although the uprising was eventually suppressed, [[Slovak partisans|partisan resistance]] continued. The territory of Slovakia was liberated by Soviet and Romanian forces by the end of April 1945.

=== From Fascism to Communism (1945–1948) ===
{{Main|Third Czechoslovak Republic|1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état}}
{{See also|Soviet annexation of Transcarpathia}}

As a result of the [[Yalta Conference]] in February 1945, Czechoslovakia came under the influence of the [[Soviet Union]].

After World War&nbsp;II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and [[Jozef Tiso]] was executed in 1947 for collaboration with the Nazis. More than [[Hungarians in Slovakia#Population exchanges|80,000 Hungarians]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2003/Erika%20Harris.pdf |title=Management of the Hungarian Issue in Slovak Politics |access-date=16 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325004909/http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2003/Erika%20Harris.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> and 32,000 Germans<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saske.sk/cas/4-98/olejnik.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620073924/http://www.saske.sk/cas/4-98/olejnik.html |archive-date=20 June 2008 |trans-title=German minority in Slovakia after 1918 |title=Nemecká menšina na Slovensku po roku 1918 |language=sk |date=20 June 2008 |access-date=16 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> were forced to leave Slovakia, in a series of [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|population transfers]] initiated by the Allies at the [[Potsdam Conference]].<ref name="rock">{{cite book|last=Rock|first=David|author2=Stefan Wolff |title=Coming home to Germany? The integration of ethnic Germans from central and eastern Europe in the Federal Republic|publisher=Berghahn|year=2002|location=New York; Oxford}}</ref> Out of about 130,000 [[Carpathian Germans]] in Slovakia in 1938, by 1947 only some 20,000 remained.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mertsahinoglu.com/research/carpathian-german-history/ |title=Dr. Thomas Reimer, Carpathian Germans history |publisher=Mertsahinoglu.com |access-date=16 October 2010 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405214825/https://mertsahinoglu.com/research/carpathian-german-history/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=June 2014}}

In February 1948, the [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia]], with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of [[Czechoslovakia]] through a [[1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état|coup d'état]] and Czechoslovakia came under direct occupation of the Soviet Union and its [[Warsaw Pact]]. It became a [[puppet state]] of the Soviet Union, but it was never part of the Soviet Union and remained independent to a certain degree.

=== Communist party rule in Czechoslovakia (1948–1989) ===
{{Main|Czechoslovak Socialist Republic}}
{{See also|Cold War|Iron Curtain|Prague Spring|Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|Communist Party of Czechoslovakia}}

[[File:Bratislava 1968 2.jpg|thumb|[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] tank in Bratislava during the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968]]

Borders with the West were protected by the [[Iron Curtain]]. About 600 people, men, women, and children, were killed on the Czechoslovak border with Austria and [[West Germany]] between 1948 and 1989.<ref>"[https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20030674/border-killings-remain-unpunished-decades-later.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308121818/https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20030674/border-killings-remain-unpunished-decades-later.html|date=8 March 2023}}." spectator.sme.sk. Retrieved on 9 June 2019. "Border killings remain unpunished decades later."</ref> 8,240 people went to forced labour camps in 1948–1953.<ref>"[https://www.upn.gov.sk/data/files/12-2016-EN-c-crimes.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526211346/https://www.upn.gov.sk/data/files/12-2016-EN-c-crimes.pdf|date=26 May 2023}}." upn.gov.sk. Retrieved on 9 June 2019. "Communist crimes in Slovakia."</ref>

On 11 July 1960, the [[1960 Constitution of Czechoslovakia|Constitution of Czechoslovakia]] was promulgated, changing the name of the country from the "Czechoslovak Republic" to the "Czechoslovak Socialist Republic".

In 1968, following the [[Prague Spring]], the country was [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|invaded]] by the Warsaw Pact forces ([[People's Republic of Bulgaria]], [[Hungarian People's Republic|People's Republic of Hungary]], [[Polish People's Republic|People's Republic of Poland]], and [[Soviet Union]], with the exception of [[Socialist Republic of Romania]] and [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania]]), ending a [[Prague Spring|period of liberalisation]] under the leadership of [[Alexander Dubček]]. 137 Czechoslovak civilians were killed and 500 seriously wounded during the invasion.<ref name="victims">{{cite web |last1=Fraňková |first1=Ruth |title=Historians pin down number of 1968 invasion victims |url=https://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/historians-pin-down-number-of-1968-invasion-victims |website=radio.cz |access-date=30 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826161237/https://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/historians-pin-down-number-of-1968-invasion-victims |archive-date=26 August 2017 |date=18 August 2017}}</ref><ref name="victims2">{{cite web|title=August 1968 – Victims of the Occupation|url=http://www.ustrcr.cz/en/august-1968-victims-of-the-occupation|website=ustrcr.cz|publisher=Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů|access-date=23 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718191818/http://www.ustrcr.cz/en/august-1968-victims-of-the-occupation|archive-date=18 July 2011}}</ref>

In 1969, Czechoslovakia became a [[Constitutional Act on the Czechoslovak Federation|federation]] of the [[Czech Socialist Republic]] and the [[Slovak Socialist Republic]] within the [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic]].

[[File:Fidel Castro 1972 (SOA Prague).jpg|thumb|Czechoslovak communist leader [[Gustáv Husák]] (right) with [[Fidel Castro]] during his state visit of Czechoslovakia, 1972]]

Czechoslovakia was allied with communist regimes worldwide. As one of the first countries in the world acknowledged [[Kim Il-sung]]'s [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea]]. After the beginning of the [[Korean War]], Czechoslovakia protested against measures taken by the Security Council. Czechoslovak communist leaders considered the intervention against North Korean aggression illegal. During summer 1950, many resolutions against "American imperialism" were sent to the United Nations from Czechoslovakia. During the Korean War in 1952, Czechoslovakia sent a military hospital with two hospital teams consisting of 58 people to North Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=140012|title=Images shed light on work of Czechoslovakia|date=26 July 2013|website=The Korea Times}}</ref> 

When [[Fidel Castro]] took power after the [[Cuban Revolution]] in 1959, Czechoslovakia open embassy in Cuba and developed mutual relations. In August 1968, Castro denounced the [[Prague Spring]] as led by a "fascist reactionary rabble" and praised the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. pp. 270&ndash;271.</ref><ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 216&ndash;217.</ref> During the [[Vietnam War]], Czechoslovakia sent [[International participation in the Vietnam War|significant aid]] to [[North Vietnam]].<ref name="Bischof2">{{Cite book |last1=Bischof |first1=Günter |title=The Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 |last2=Karner |first2=Stefan |last3=Ruggenthaler |first3=Peter |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7391-4304-9 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gZzEYyB8X8YC&pg=PA293 293]}}</ref> The Czechoslovak government created committees which sought to not only promote and establish peace, but also to promote victory for [[Viet Cong]] and [[Vietnam People's Army]] forces.<ref name="Bischof2" />{{Rp|}} Czech-made equipment and military aid would increase significantly following the Prague Spring.<ref name="Francev2">{{Cite book |last=Francev |first=Vladimir |title=Československé zbraně ve světě: V míru i za války |publisher=Grada Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-80-247-5314-0 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=NWQACgAAQBAJ&pg=PA166 166] |language=cs}}</ref> Czechoslovakia continued to send tens of thousands of Czech-made rifles as well as mortar and artillery throughout the war.<ref name="Francev2" />

=== From Communism to Democracy (1989–1992) ===
{{Main|Czech and Slovak Federative Republic}}
{{See also|Slovak National Council's Declaration of Independence of the Slovak Nation|Constitution of Slovakia}}

[[File:Praha 19891122-419-02.jpg|thumb|The [[Velvet Revolution]] ended 41 years of authoritarian communist rule in [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic|Czechoslovakia]] in 1989.]]

The end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989, during the peaceful [[Velvet Revolution]], was followed once again by the country's dissolution, this time into two [[succession of states|successor states]]. [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic]] renamed as [[Czech and Slovak Federative Republic]], the word "socialist" was dropped in the names of the two republics within the federation, the Slovak Socialist Republic renamed as [[Slovak Socialist Republic|Slovak Republic]].

On 17&nbsp;July 1992, Slovakia, led by Prime Minister [[Vladimír Mečiar]], declared itself a sovereign state, meaning that its laws took precedence over those of the federal government. Throughout the autumn of 1992, Vladimír Mečiar and [[List of Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic|Czech Prime Minister]] [[Václav Klaus]] negotiated the details for disbanding the federation. In November, the federal parliament voted to dissolve the country officially on 31&nbsp;December 1992.

=== Slovak independence (since 1993) ===
==== 1990s ====
The Slovak Republic and the [[Czech Republic]] went their separate ways on 1&nbsp;January 1993, an event sometimes called the [[Dissolution of Czechoslovakia|Velvet Divorce]], after 74 years of joint existence disrupted only by World War II.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slovakia.org/history-topics |title=The Breakup of Czechoslovakia |publisher=Slovakia |access-date=3 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010135407/http://www.slovakia.org/history-topics |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/velvet+divorce |title=Velvet divorce |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=3 June 2011 |archive-date=6 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906095009/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/velvet+divorce |url-status=live }}</ref> Slovakia has, nevertheless, remained a close partner with the Czech Republic; the two countries are close European allies and both co-operate with Hungary and Poland in the [[Visegrád Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://enrsi.rtvs.sk/articles/news/367346/czech-republic-important-partner-for-slovakia|title=Czech Republic important partner for Slovakia|date=19 June 2024|website=Radio Slovakia International}}</ref> The first President of the Slovak Republic became [[Michal Kováč]], elected by the [[National Council of Slovakia]] in February 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/michal-kovac-president-of-the-slovak-republic-1993-1998|title=Michal Kováč, President of the Slovak Republic 1993–1998|date=1 February 1999|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Slovakia became a member of the [[United Nations]] on 19&nbsp;January 1993, on 31&nbsp;March 1993 ratified the [[World Heritage Convention|UNESCO World Heritage Convention]], making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the [[UNESCO]] list and on 15&nbsp;April 1993 joined [[GATT]] (current [[World Trade Organization]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/slovak_republic_e.htm|title=Slovak Republic and the WTO|website=World Trade Organization}}</ref>

After the fall of communism and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the country was unprepared for organised crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/organized-crime-terrorizes-slovak-society|title=Organized crime terrorizes Slovak society|date=26 February 1998|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> [[Crime in Slovakia|Crime rates in Slovakia]] soared in the 1990s, the first post-communist gangsters emerged and [[Slovak mafia|mafia]] became the major problem in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/slovakias-mafia-pioneer|title=Slovakia's mafia pioneer|date=17 March 2008|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Most of the law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges had no experience of investigating, trying, or sentencing criminals. Many officials lacked even basic knowledge of the leading criminal operators in their communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.occrp.org/en/project/unfinished-lives-unfinished-justice/how-the-mafias-came-to-slovakia|title=How the Mafias Came to Slovakia|date=19 February 2019|website=Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project}}</ref> Between the years 1994–1998, during the government of [[Prime Minister of Slovakia|Prime Minister]] [[Vladimír Mečiar]], organised crime became well established and it penetrated the highest political positions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2000/04/27/the-arrest-of-vladimir-meciar|title=The arrest of Vladimir Meciar|date=27 April 2000|newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> One of the major crime events was kidnapping of Slovak president's son Michal Kováč Jr. in 1995, organised by [[Slovenská informačná služba|Slovak intelligence service]] and the government of Vladimír Mečiar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/former-intelligence-employee-claims-ex-sis-head-oversaw-the-abduction-of-the-presidents-son|title=Ex intelligence employee: Lexa oversaw the 1995 abduction|date=10 January 2018|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/almost-30-years-ago-the-slovak-presidents-son-was-kidnapped-the-trial-may-finally-begin-this-year|title=Almost 30 years ago, the Slovak president's son was kidnapped. The trial may finally begin this year|date=18 January 2024|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Processes of [[privatization in Slovakia]] began, often criticized for lack of transparency and corruption. Hundreds of state assets came into private hands to only a selected group of businessmen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/new-meciar-era-privatisation-details|title=New Mečiar-era privatisation details|date=18 May 2009|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> In the 1990s, Slovakia had central Europe's worst-performing economy, marked by high unemployment rates and inflation with least democratic government. [[Madeleine Albright]], the [[U.S. secretary of state]], referred to it as ''"a black hole in the heart of Europe"''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/eu-political/ar4ce0cffc|title=Slovakia – from black hole to neutron star|date=29 August 2018|website=EUobserver}}</ref> This time period in Slovakia is also known as ''“[[The wild nineties|Wild 90s]]”'' (''“Divoké 90.roky”'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hnonline.sk/slovensko/939111-divoke-90-roky-pozrite-si-zabudnute-fotografie-z-ery-meciarizmu-kedy-si-stat-robil|title=Divoké 90. roky. Pozrite si zabudnuté fotky z éry mečiarizmu, kedy si štát robil, čo chcel|date=5 April 2017|website=Hospodárske noviny}}</ref> Since March 1998, the country was 14 months without a head of state, when the National Council of Slovakia [[1998 Slovak presidential election|multiple times failed]] to elect the new president, which led to the introduction of a [[1999 Slovak presidential election|direct presidential election]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/slovaks-head-to-polls-may-15-to-elect-president-but-why|title=Slovaks head to polls May 15 to elect president – but why?|date=17 May 1999|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref>

After the [[1998 Slovak parliamentary election|1998 parliamentary election]], [[Mikuláš Dzurinda]] went on to replace Vladimír Mečiar as Prime Minister, and during two successive governments between the years 1998–2006, relaunched the transformation processes that had stalled under Mečiar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/23123278/the-man-who-saved-slovakia-in-1998-attempts-a-cinematic-relaunch.html|title=The man who saved Slovakia in 1998 attempts a cinematic relaunch|date=30 January 2023|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> The country embarked on a reformist course that saw the introduction of a flat tax, liberalisation of the labour market, deregulation of business, and partial privatization of social security. Government of Mikuláš Dzurinda led Slovakia into OECD, NATO and the European Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upms.sk/media/Slovakia_A_story_of_reforms.pdf|title=Slovakia: A story of reforms|date=2008|website=Univerzita pre moderné Slovensko}}</ref> In 1999, the second President of Slovakia became [[Rudolf Schuster]], first directly-elected president.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/schuster-acceptable-says-west|title=Schuster 'acceptable,' says West|date=7 June 1999|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref>

==== 2000s ====
[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|Slovakia became a member of the European Union in 2004 and signed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007.]]

Slovakia became a member of [[OECD]] on 14&nbsp;December 2000, [[NATO]] on 29&nbsp;March 2004 and of the [[European Union]] on 1&nbsp;May 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbs.sk/_img/documents/biatec/trajan.pdf|title=Review of Slovakia's accession to the OECD|date=February 2001|website=National bank of Slovakia}}</ref> The country used to be dubbed the ''"[[Tatra Tiger]]"'' in the 2000s as achieved, on average, roughly 6% per capita GDP growth each year from 2000 to 2008.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nicolae-Dragos |first1=Biea |year=2015 |url=https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2017-01/eb008_en_2.pdf |title=Economic growth in Slovakia: Past successes and future challenges |journal=Acta Oeconomica |series=European Economy Economic Briefs |edition=008 |publisher=European Commission |doi=10.2765/01942 |isbn=978-92-79-54469-9 |issn=2443-8030 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=29 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829050234/https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2017-01/eb008_en_2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pogátsa |first1=Zoltán |author-link=Zoltán Pogátsa |year=2009 |title=Tatra Tiger: Growth Miracle or Belated Recovery? |journal=Acta Oeconomica |location=Budapest |publisher=Akadémiai Kiadó |volume=59 |issue=4 |pages=377–390 |doi=10.1556/AOecon.59.2009.4.1 |issn=0001-6373 |jstor=40729918}}</ref> [[Ivan Gašparovič]] became the third president of Slovakia in 2004 and in 2009 became the first and the only Slovak re-elected president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20090405-ivan-gasparovic-elected-president-|title=Ivan Gasparovic re-elected President|date=5 April 2009|website=France 24}}</ref>

In 2006, [[Robert Fico]] became Prime Minister, during his first government, Slovakia joined the [[Schengen area]] on 21&nbsp;December 2007, allowing visa free travel and on 1&nbsp;January 2009 adopted the [[Euro]] as its national currency at 30.1260 [[Slovak koruna|korunas]] to the euro.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Slovakia joins the euro – European Commission|url=https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/articles/euro/article13563_en.htm|access-date=7 April 2021|website=ec.europa.eu|archive-date=8 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308121832/https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/articles/euro/article13563_en.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The Slovak economy was involved in a major slowdown during the [[2008 financial crisis]], experiencing the deepest [[recession]] in history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/96500/commentary_19.pdf|title=Slovakia's economic success and the global crisis|date=2 February 2009|website=CES commentary}}</ref> At the beginning of 2009, Slovakia faced energy crisis and  declared a [[state of emergency]], after Russia cut gas supplies to Europe via Ukrainian pipelines as part of a [[2009 Russia–Ukraine gas dispute|price dispute with Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/energy-crisis-looms-as-all-gas-imports-cease|title=Energy crisis looms as all gas imports cease|date=12 January 2009|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref>

==== 2010s ====
Between the years 2010–2012, Slovak government was led by first female Prime Minister [[Iveta Radičová]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/new-parliament-meets-radicova-becomes-pm|title=New parliament meets, Radičová becomes PM|date=12 July 2010|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Her government lasted only two years, Radičová combined the vote on the strengthening of the [[European Financial Stability Facility]] – a key anti-crisis mechanism in the [[eurozone]] – with a vote of confidence for her cabinet. Slovak parliament rejected the EFSF, which led to the collapse of the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/coalition-splits-government-falls|title=Coalition splits, government falls|date=12 October 2011|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> 

In 2012, Robert Fico became second time Prime Minister when his political party [[Direction – Social Democracy]] won [[2012 Slovak parliamentary election| election]] and collected 83 of 150 seats in [[National Council of Slovakia|National Council]], becoming the first single party to win a [[Majority government|clear majority]] in the Slovak parliament since the fall of communism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/smer-wins-historic-election-victory|title=Smer wins historic election victory|date=11 March 2012|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> In 2014, [[Andrej Kiska]] became the fourth President of Slovakia. For the first time was elected as President entrepreneur and first-time politician.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/presidential-vote-kiska-becomes-president-official-results-confirm|title=Kiska becomes president, official results confirm|date=30 March 2014|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> International crisis impacted Slovak politics and quickly started dominating the country's political life and media coverage, such as [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation]] in neighbouring Ukraine in 2014 or [[2015 European migrant crisis|European migrant crisis]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/refugee-crisis-affects-slovak-politics|title=Refugee crisis affects Slovak politics|date=28 December 2015|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> 

After the [[2016 Slovak parliamentary election|parliamentary election]] in 2016, Robert Fico became third time Prime Minister, making him longest-serving prime minister in Slovak history, if the years are counted cumulatively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/prime-minister-robert-fico-smer|title=Prime Minister: Robert Fico (Smer)|date=22 March 2016|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Third term of Fico's government was characterised by social and political turmoil. On February 21, 2018, young Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, [[Murder of Ján Kuciak|were killed]] in their home in [[Veľká Mača]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/jan-kuciak-last-story-italian-mafias-tentacles-reach-into-slovak-politics/|title=Ján Kuciak's last story: Italian mafia's tentacles reach into Slovak politics|date=28 February 2018|website=Politico}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cmpf.eui.eu/the-murders-of-slovak-journalist-jan-kuciak-and-his-partner-marina-kusnirova-represent-a-serious-threat-to-media-freedom-in-europe/|title=The Murders of Slovak Journalist Ján Kuciak and Partner Marina Kušnírova Represent a Serious Threat to Media Freedom in Europe|date=1 March 2018|website=Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom}}</ref> Thousands of people protested in streets across Slovakia for independent investigation of journalist's murder and a ‘trustworthy’ government in [[Murder of Ján Kuciak#Political crisis|largest demonstrations]] in the country since the Velvet Revolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/enough-of-smer-people-chanted-in-streets|title=Enough of Smer, people chanted in streets|date=16 March 2018|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Due to protests, Robert Fico resignate and the government continued under a new Prime Minister [[Peter Pellegrini]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/pellegrini-new-prime-minister-slovakia|title=Peter Pellegrini to become new prime minister. Who is he?|date=15 March 2018|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> In 2019, [[Zuzana Čaputová]] became the fifth President of Slovakia, first female president.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Walker|first=Shaun|date=31 March 2019|title=Slovakia's first female president hails victory for progressive values|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/31/slovakia-elects-zuzana-caputova-first-female-president|access-date=15 July 2020|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=15 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915051334/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/31/slovakia-elects-zuzana-caputova-first-female-president|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== 2020s ====
After the [[2020 Slovak parliamentary election|parliamentary election]] in 2020, [[Igor Matovič]] became the new Prime Minister of Slovakia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/president-assigns-matovic-to-create-government|title=It's official: Matovič assigned to form the new government|date=4 March 2020|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Matovič and his government, with little to no previous government experience, was dealing with the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and [[COVID-19 recession]], during which more than [[COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia|21,000 people]] died in Slovakia between the years 2020–2023, the worst death toll in the country since the end of World War II.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/23218815/covid-slovakia.html|title=Q&A: Will there be another Covid-19 wave in Slovakia? What about vaccines?|date=22 September 2023|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22594536/in-2020-slovakia-suffered-its-worst-death-toll-since-the-end-of-ww2.html|title=In 2020, Slovakia suffered its worst death toll since the end of WW2|date=11 February 2020|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Slovak economy faced the worst economic crisis since the [[2008 financial crisis]] and fell into recession.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/business/c/statistics-data-second-quarter-2020-coronavirus-impact-on-economy|title=Worse than the financial crisis: Economic recession and the very first drop in wages|date=9 September 2020|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref>
At the beginning of 2021, Matovič signed an agreement to acquire 2 million doses of Russia's [[Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine]], which has not been cleared by [[European Union]] regulators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/europe-coronavirus-pandemic-bratislava-zuzana-caputova-slovakia-e9bb5d69e8bc41037e49bdc1f2fc810d|title=Slovak premier, government resign over Russian vaccine deal|date=30 March 2021|website=Associated Press}}</ref> Matovič orchestrated the deal despite disagreement among his coalition partners, which led to a government crisis and his resignation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/29/slovakia-sputnik-matovic/|title=Slovakia's prime minister is the first world leader to step down over covid controversy|date=29 March 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/igor-matovic-stepped-down-as-pm|title=Igor Matovič stepped down as PM|date=30 March 2021|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> The government continued under a new Prime Minister [[Eduard Heger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/slovak-president-appoints-eduard-heger-prime-minister-2021-04-01/|title=Slovak president appoints Heger prime minister, ending political crisis|date=1 April 2021|website=Reuters}}</ref> Heger and his government faced many challenges, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion]] in neighbouring Ukraine, [[Ukrainian refugee crisis]], [[Global energy crisis (2021–2023)|Global energy crisis]] and [[2021–2023 inflation surge|Inflation surge]]. After a strong economic recovery in 2021, growth slowed down markedly in 2022 and 2023 as a result of the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, notably the subsequent [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|EU sanctions on Russia]] and Global energy crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/business/c/energy-crisis-will-force-slovak-economy-into-a-recession-in-2023|title=Energy crisis will force Slovak economy into a recession in 2023|date=28 December 2022|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Slovakia became one of Ukraine's largest [[List of military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War|donors of military aid]] during Heger's government in 2022 and 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/slovakia-comes-out-as-one-of-ukraines-biggest-supporters|title=Slovakia comes out as one of Ukraine's biggest supporters|date=25 April 2022|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Government crisis in Slovakia continued with various disputes in the coalition. At the end of 2022, Heger's government collapsed, after a lost no-confidence vote in parliament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/slovakias-government-collapses-after-a-lost-no-confidence-vote|title=Slovakia's government collapses after a lost no-confidence vote|date=15 December 2022|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> In 2023, in the interim before the next election, President Zuzana Čaputová appointed the first [[Technocracy|technocrat government]] in Slovak history and [[Ľudovít Ódor]] became the new Prime Minister for only six months, the third Prime Minister of Slovakia in three years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-government-elections-odor-caputova-heger-a4751ae82f60cf74c4c2ddb1a2a9a369|title=Slovakia gets technocratic caretaker government until September's early election|date=15 May 2023|website=Associated Press}}</ref>

After the [[2023 Slovak parliamentary election|parliamentary election]] in 2023, Robert Fico became for the fourth time Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/slovakias-fico-appointed-prime-minister-fourth-time-2023-10-25/|title=Slovakia's Fico appointed prime minister for fourth time|date=25 October 2023|website=Reuters}}</ref> The new government halted military aid to Ukraine, while still providing humanitarian aid and electricity supplies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/slovakia-robert-fico-announce-halt-military-aid-ukraine/|title=Slovakia's Fico announces halt of military aid to Ukraine|date=26 October 2023|website=Politico}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://kyivindependent.com/slovakia-to-increase-electricity-supplies-to-ukraine-ahead-of-colder-months-slovak-president-says/|title=Slovakia to increase electricity supplies to Ukraine during colder months, Slovak president says|date=5 July 2024|website=The Kyiv Independent}}</ref> On May 15, 2024, Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot several times and wounded in an [[Attempted assassination of Robert Fico|assassination attempt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/politics-and-society/c/slovak-premier-attack-handlova|title=PM Fico shot as he speaks to supporters in Handlová|date=15 May 2024|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> The suspect stated during interrogation that he acted primarily because of the Fico government's opposition to military assistance to Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/slovak-pm-robert-fico-attack-shooting-suspect-policies-ukraine-war/|title=Fico's 'Judas' government should have backed Ukraine, shooting suspect says|date=23 May 2024|website=Politico}}</ref> In 2024, [[Peter Pellegrini]] became the sixth President of Slovakia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/opinion/c/slovak-president-peter-pellegrinis-inaugural-address|title=President Pellegrini: Slovak interests matter to me more than praise from media and world leaders|date=15 June 2024|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> Pellegrini is the first Slovak politician to have held all three highest constitutional posts (President, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament) in the country. Fourth term of Fico’s government is characterized by political instability with fragile coalition, worsening relations with European Union, diplomatic disputes with the closest ally [[Czech Republic]] and growing Russian influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lansinginstitute.org/2025/01/15/slovakias-political-turmoil-a-fragile-coalition-and-the-shadow-of-russian-influence/|title=Slovakia’s Political Turmoil: A Fragile Coalition and the Shadow of Russian Influence|date=15 January 2025|website=Robert Lansing Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.radio.cz/slovak-pm-accuses-czech-politicians-interfering-slovakias-internal-affairs-8841199|title=Slovak PM accuses Czech politicians of interfering in Slovakia’s internal affairs|date=28 January 2025|website=Radio Prague International}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ecamaastricht.org/blueandyellow-zoomingin/democracy-under-threat-the-current-political-climate-in-slovakia|title=Democracy under threat - The current political climate in Slovakia|date=19 March 2025|website=ECA Maastricht}}</ref> In 2024, the government brought controversial changes to Slovakia’s rule-of-law bodies and major personnel changes at all state institutions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eucrim.eu/news/ep-worries-about-rule-of-law-developements-in-slovakia/|title=EP Worries about Rule-of-Law Developements in Slovakia|date=7 February 2024|website=Eucrim}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2024-02-12/slovakia-controversial-changes-to-criminal-law-and-a-dispute|title=Slovakia: controversial changes to the criminal law, and a dispute with Brussels on the horizon|date=12 February 2024|website=Centre for Eastern Studies}}</ref> 2025 began with extensive and deep dissatisfaction in Slovak society. Pro-Russia policies of Slovak government, questioning Slovakia's future in the European Union, criticism of Ukrainian President [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]] and Fico's good relationship with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], led to [[2025 Slovak protests|widespread demonstrations]] across the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz0rn85v5kjo|title=Slovak PM meets Putin in unannounced Moscow visit|date=23 December 2024|website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/slovak-pm-scandalizes-with-remarks-about-1738096849.html|title=Slovak PM makes scandalous statement about Zelenskyy|date=28 January 2025|website=RBC-Ukraine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/experts-warn-of-dangerous-rhetoric-as-smer-mp-questions-slovakias-eu-future/|title=Experts warn of dangerous rhetoric as SMER MP questions Slovakia’s EU future|date=21 January 2025|website=Euractiv}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/slovakias-peaceful-anti-government-protests-grow-nationwide/a-71406871|title=Slovakia's peaceful anti-government protests grow nationwide|date=25 January 2025|website=Deutsche Welle}}</ref> Slovakia fell significantly in the media freedom ranking and corruption ranking.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/slovakia-suffers-historic-drop-in-corruption-ranking-amid-ficos-controversial-reforms/|title=Slovakia suffers historic drop in corruption ranking amid Fico’s controversial reforms|date=12 February 2025|website=Euractiv}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.article19.org/resources/slovakia-new-report-highlights-growing-media-freedom-crisis/|title=Slovakia: New report highlights growing media freedom crisis|date=20 February 2025|website=Article 19}}</ref> Crisis of democratic society was followed by economic decline, underlined by downgrade rating from credit rating agency [[Moody's Ratings|Moody’s]] and later [[S&P Global Ratings|Standard & Poor’s]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://europrospects.eu/slovakias-crisis-deepens-under-fico-economic-decline-and-political-polarization/|title=Slovakia’s Crisis Deepens Under Fico: Economic Decline and Political Polarization|date=1 December 2024|website=Euro Prospects}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/business/c/moody-s-downgrades-slovakia-s-credit-rating|title=Moody’s downgrades Slovakia’s credit rating|date=16 December 2024|website=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://disclosure.spglobal.com/ratings/en/regulatory/article/-/view/type/HTML/id/3359667|title=Slovakia Outlook Revised To Negative On Rising Economic Risks; 'A+/A-1' Ratings Affirmed|date=25 April 2025|website=S&P Global}}</ref>