[cavszabo]

Hi,

I agree, we use the term "dismember" differently. I use it to mean "dis-member" that is, to take the members of the thing in question, and take them apart. My point was that Czechoslovakia still existed after the 1938 Munich Agreement. I object to the claim that Hungary, Poland or Germany "took" lands, as if Czechoslovakia had existed from everlasting ages. All they did is take back their own lands.

My key problem with the creation of both Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia was precisely what you indicate, namely, that it was created by elites. I find it strange that the Entente claimed to want "democracy" yet disallowed any kind of democratic say by the people themselves. You are right that probably most Slovaks wanted to leave the Hungarian Kingdom. However, we simply do not know whether they wanted to join the Czechs, and we never will, as they were not asked. Many Slovaks felt cheated, and this helped lay the foundation for the separatist movements. (Incidentally, the current area of Slovakia was not the most industrialised area of Hungary. That was the central and western regions, especially the industrial hubs of Budapest and Gyor.)

The same applies to the situation with the Croats and Slovenes. I maintain the main cause for anger and therefore eventual breakup in Yugoslavia was that the country became a kind of Greater Serbia, and the Croats especially resented this.

I think claiming that, for instance, Hungary "invaded" Slovakia is a bit disingenous, after all, they only took back areas that had been Hungary a mere 20 years before. "Slovakia" never existed before that. It was an arbitrary creation, and later, the Czechoslovaks were to expel tens of thousands of "non-Slavs" in order to make the facts on the ground fit the newly drawn map.

My point is simply that, the situation of a pure and holy Czechoslovakia being carved up by the wicked Germans, Poles and Hungarians is extremely one-sided, to say the least.

I haven't given a point-by-point statement, I merely wanted to show the other side, as there are usually two sides to an argument. This present one is not over yet, and I believe only open discussion can solve these things.

Cheers,
Chris