CSEMADOK
Encyclopedia
CSEMADOK, also written Csemadok, is a cultural society of ethnic Hungarians
in Slovakia
.
CSEMADOK was formed on March 5, 1949 in Bratislava
as a part of the Czechoslovak National Front
, an umbrella state-wide organization. The name was abbreviation for Hungarian
Csehszlovákiai Magyar Dolgozók Kultúregyesülete (see bellow for name changes, in Slovak
: Kultúrny zväz maďarských pracujúcich v Československu, English
: Czechoslovak Hungarian Workers' Cultural Association). It was one of the few ethnic based organizations in Czechoslovakia.
The organization was reported to have 43,000 members in 1953 and almost 50,000 in 1955. The society organized cultural events, lectures and supported theater-, song- and dance groups. Since 1951 it published a monthly "Fáklya" (The Torch), then, since December 1956, a weekly "A Hét" (The Week).
During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 the leadership supported position of Czechoslovak government toward the events; this resulted in decline of members (33,000 reported in 1957).
In 1968, during the Prague Spring
period, CSEMADOK supported the liberalization policies, tried to change into a political interest group and asked for more rights and privileges for the ethnic Hungarians. After the suppression of Prague Spring politics leadership of CSEMADOK was purged.
After dissolution of Czechoslovakia
(end of 1992) the organisation changed its name to Szlovákiai Magyar Társadalmi és Közmüvelödési Szövetség – Csemadok (Slovak: Maďarský kultúrny a spoločenský zväz na Slovensku, English: Hungarian Social and Cultural Association of Slovakia). Toward the end of 1990s the organisation, dependent on money from the Slovak government, almost collapsed as the government radically restricted the financial support.
Hungarians in Slovakia
Hungarians in Slovakia are the largest ethnic minority of the country, numbering 520,528 people or 9.7% of population . They are concentrated mostly in the southern part of the country, near the border with Hungary...
in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
CSEMADOK was formed on March 5, 1949 in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
as a part of the Czechoslovak National Front
National Front (Czechoslovakia)
The National Front was the coalition of parties which headed the re-established Czechoslovakian government from 1945 to 1948. During the Communist era in Czechoslovakia it was the vehicle for control of all political and social activity by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia...
, an umbrella state-wide organization. The name was abbreviation for Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
Csehszlovákiai Magyar Dolgozók Kultúregyesülete (see bellow for name changes, in Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
: Kultúrny zväz maďarských pracujúcich v Československu, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Czechoslovak Hungarian Workers' Cultural Association). It was one of the few ethnic based organizations in Czechoslovakia.
The organization was reported to have 43,000 members in 1953 and almost 50,000 in 1955. The society organized cultural events, lectures and supported theater-, song- and dance groups. Since 1951 it published a monthly "Fáklya" (The Torch), then, since December 1956, a weekly "A Hét" (The Week).
During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 the leadership supported position of Czechoslovak government toward the events; this resulted in decline of members (33,000 reported in 1957).
In 1968, during the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
period, CSEMADOK supported the liberalization policies, tried to change into a political interest group and asked for more rights and privileges for the ethnic Hungarians. After the suppression of Prague Spring politics leadership of CSEMADOK was purged.
After dissolution of Czechoslovakia
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
(end of 1992) the organisation changed its name to Szlovákiai Magyar Társadalmi és Közmüvelödési Szövetség – Csemadok (Slovak: Maďarský kultúrny a spoločenský zväz na Slovensku, English: Hungarian Social and Cultural Association of Slovakia). Toward the end of 1990s the organisation, dependent on money from the Slovak government, almost collapsed as the government radically restricted the financial support.
Names
From http://www.foruminst.sk/publ/magy/1-1/magyszlovban_varga.pdf:- 1949–1966: Csehszlovákiai Magyar Dolgozók Kultúregyesülete
- 1966–1969: Csehszlovákiai Magyar Dolgozók Kulturális Szövetsége
- 1969–1971: Csehszlovákiai Magyar Társadalmi és Kulturális Szövetség
- 1971–1990: Csehszlovákiai Magyar Dolgozók Kulturális Szövetsége
- 1990–1993: Csehszlovákiai Magyarok Demokratikus Szövetsége
- 1993– : Szlovákiai Magyar Társadalmi és Közművelődési Szövetség – Csemadok
See also
- Polish Cultural and Educational UnionPolish Cultural and Educational UnionPolski Związek Kulturalno-Oświatowy is a Polish organization in the Czech Republic. It represents the Polish minority in the Czech Republic together with the Congress of Poles...
- similar organization of Poles in Czechoslovakia