Hlinková mládež 1938-1945 - Ústav pamäti národa

SummaryThe Hlinka Youth 1938 – 1945The Hlinka Youth (HY) was set up in December 1938 by the decisionof the governing body of the Hlinka Slovak People’s Party (HSPP), andbecame one of the largest and most important youth mass organizationsduring the first Slovak Republic. Its bases were built mainly on the associationof the Slovak Catholic Scouts. A part of the catholic scouts’ leadershiprefused to give credit to the arising organization and was forced to subordinatethemselves to a ban of any further activity – likewise as the rest of thecivil defence and paramilitary organizations in the former 1 st CzechoslovakRepublic.A large number of new, unpublished information from the archive materials,period periodicals and contemporary research helps a reader to betterunderstand the system of organization, ideological thoughts, program ofeducation, a uniform or magazines of the HY. A picture of its domestic andinternational activities includes a commitment of the members to guard andsecurity service, premilitary defence education managed by the HY and itsinternational contacts and activities with the European youth organizationsof Hitler’s coalition. The author also presents a controversial activity ofthe HY after the start of the Slovak National Uprising than lasted from theautumn 1944 until its end and included cooperation with German occupationalheadquarters and with anti-rebellion secret service, management offorced labour of the youth on the fortifying works, its assistance in the Airdefencetroops or the integration of the youth into the Emergency troops ofthe HG and HY.A tight connection between the HY and the HSPP on a common ideologicalbackground and establishment in the Slovak society, the politicalambitions of its leadership, its vital position within the authoritative state183