The Vesels: The Fate of a Czechoslovak Family in 20th Century Central Europe (1918–1989) E-Book

Josette Baer

• Herausgeber: ibidem
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 178

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

This book deals with the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) that was launched on 29 August 1944 in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. In the West, the uprising is an under-researched topic in the history of WWII. The Slovak state was an ally of Nazi Germany, but the uprising proved that the population did not share the regime’s ideology.

Leseprobe

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ibidem-Press, Stuttgart

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This study is dedicated to the soldiers, officers, patriots, partisans and civilians who sacrificed their lives for liberty, fighting in the Slovak National Uprising in 1944 and on all fronts in WWII. It is dedicated to their families, men, women, children, and grandchildren.

We shall never forget.

I am most grateful to my fellow historians in Slovakia, who revealed the truth about the SNP in the short months of the Czechoslovak Spring, from 1968 to 1969, and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, respectively. Without their analysis and academic acumen I could not have written this book.

This book is also dedicated to Jean-Marie and the cuirassiers.

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

X. Introduction

X.1 Method, Key Contexts, Research Questions

X.1.1 Method: Contextual Biography

X.1.2 Research Questions

X.2 The ‘Victorious February of 1948’ and its Consequences for the Historiography of the SNP – Oral History Interview with Dr Ivan Kamenec, Department of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences (HÚ SAV)

I. The Vesel Family (1862–1939)

I.1 Ján Vesel – Pater Familias and Slovak Patriot (1862–1931)

I.2 The Czechoslovak Spirit of the Vesel Family

II. WWII and the SNP (1939–1944)

II.1 The Slovak State in the Context of 20th-Century Central Europe

II.2 Čatlos and Beneš – Obedience and Resistance? (1939–1943)

II.3 Preparations (1943–1944)

II.3.1 The SNR and the Christmas Treaty of 1943

II.3.2 To Arms! (29 August 1944, 1 September 1944)

II.3.3 Women in the SNP

III. After the Uprising (1945–1990)

III.1 Escape

III.2 Manual Labour and Imprisonment

Conclusion

Chronology

Bibliography

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Foreword

Josette Baer’s book about my late great-uncles, the twins Mirko and Milan Vesel, is the first publication in English that deals with their activities in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) in 1944. Baer’s study also presents an analysis of the attitude of the Vesel family – Slovak and Czechoslovak patriots in minds and hearts – towards the social and political changes that took place in Slovakia after 1938. As adherents of the democratic legacy of Masaryk and Štefánik and with the support of the members of their large family, the Vesel brothers took arms against the German occupying forces. Mirko, Milan and their youngest brother Miloš have a unique place in history as the only known example of three brothers who all became generals. As pars pro toto of the Slovak anti-Nazi resistance, they should not be forgotten, and nor should all those dedicated soldiers and partisans and their supporters amongst the civilian population who fought for freedom and justice in the Slovak mountains.

The tragic events of Slovak and Czechoslovak history are known only to a few experts, for whom it is no surprise that the momentous events of the uprising were followed by harsh years of ingratitude, marked by direct violations of the Vesels’ freedom and many hardships faced in their lives. The Vesels had a decisive influence on the course of the uprising and, with that, also the political direction and position of post-war Slovakia. And nobody will be surprised to learn that, despite everything that befell them, even in the direst moments, the Vesels never ceased to love their nation, in whose name they had sacrificed so much. It is a paradox of the years since their own lifetimes that the Vesel brothers received no acknowledgement whatsoever for what they did and what they stood for. Even today, when we are looking for personalities of Slovak history to hold up as role models for a younger generation that is often disoriented by manipulative demagogues, the Vesels do not receive due public recognition for their honourable actions and their legacy.

The Vesel family from the Zvolen and Banská Bystrica region wrote a chapter in the history of Slovakia, a chapter that can never be erased. My great-grandfather, lawyer and patriot Ján Vesel, the founder of the clan, was baptized in Radvany close to Banská Bystrica by one of the greatest Slovak poets, evangelical pastor Andrej Braxatoris-Sládkovič, the author of the collections of poems entitled Marína and Detvan. With his wife Kornélia, née Barányová, Ján Vesel brought up eleven children. In the brutal atmosphere of the Magyar assimilation and oppression of all Slavs that characterized Hungary in the last decades of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, not only were all the children given beautiful Slovak names (Oľga, Elena, Viera, Želmíra, Mária, Ivan, Mirko, Milan, Zora, Kornélia and Miloš), they also received an education in the patriotic spirit, whose moral values would be tested by subsequent events.

Three men made the Vesel family famous; they were in the right place at the right time. Owing to their courage and indestructible faith in the forces of good, they did not hesitate when deciding what had to be done. Mirko, Milan and Miloš were officers by vocation; all three attained the military rank of general. The post-1989 democratic government of Czechoslovakia honoured Milan and Miloš with the title of general in memoriam. Not only administrative institutions but also the enemy were confused by the twins Mirko and Milan. Sometimes, it is said, not even their father could tell them apart. Their identical initials led to further confusion. To this day, there is some uncertainty about which brother is meant when M. Vesel is commemorated. In the years prior to WWII, all three brothers studied at the military academy in Hranice, Moravia – as if they sensed that the Slovak nation would soon need capable army officers. They suffered cruel fates, but perhaps this adversity was exactly what forged their characters and strong wills. Everything they accomplished was the result of their inner strength and desire to achieve something not only for themselves, but also for the nation. In the end, the stories of their lives finished in a manner which not even the best screenwriter or director could turn to more dramatic effect when portraying human destiny.

It is said that the nation is poor that has no heroes. To which we must add that a nation that does not honour its heroes is even poorer. “Boys, we have to do this!” Mirko Vesel told his brother Milan and colonel Marko on 29 August 1944 at 9.30 pm in Banská Bystrica when he learnt that the garrison of the high command of the Slovak infantry was in the hands of the pro-German officers Kanák and Zverín. This meant that General Ján Golian, who had been appointed commander of the uprising, could not arm the soldiers against the advancing German occupants. Together with my grandfather Ludvík Nábělek MD and the experienced politician Vavro Šrobár MD, the Vesel brothers became the men of the very first hour of the uprising, through a dramatic assumption of military command and the formulation of the call to arms against the Germans. The launch of the uprising was signalled by the proclamation to the Slovak soldiers and the proclamation to the Slovak nation, broadcast on 30 August 1944 by Free Slovak Radio.

On behalf of all the heroes, whom Josette Baer remembers in her principal publication, and who can no longer thank her, I express my deep and sincere gratitude.

Ludvík Nábělek MD, Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic

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Abbreviations

Archives and libraries

ABS ÚSTRČRArchiv Bezpečnostných Složek – Ústav pro Studium Totalitních RežimůČeské Republiky – Archives of the State Security Services at the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes of the Czech Republic, Prague.

AÚPNArchiv Ústav Pamäti Národa, Bratislava – The National Memory Institute, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.

SNKSlovenská Národná Knižnica, Martin – The Slovak National Library, Martin, Slovak Republic.

Political parties, associations, organizations and media

CC KSČCentral Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party

CC KSSCentral Committee of the Slovak Communist Party

COMECONCouncil for Mutual Economic Assistance; see RVHP

CICUS Counter Intelligence Corps

CPCommunist Party

ČSAČeskoslovenská Armáda – Czechoslovak Army

DSDemokratická Strana – Slovak Democratic Party

HGHlinkova Garda – Hlinka Guards

HSĽSHlinkova Slovenská Ľudová Strana – Hlinka’s Slovak People’s Party

KGBKomitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti – Soviet Committee for State Security

KPSSKomunističeskaia Partiia Sovetskogo Soiuza – Communist Party of the Soviet Union

KSČKomunistická Strana Československa – Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

KSSKomunistická Strana Slovenska – Slovak Communist Party

MPMember of Parliament

MNOMinisterstvo Národné Obrany – Czechoslovak Ministry of National Defense

MVMinisterstvo Vnútra – Ministry of Interior, Slovakia

NFNárodní Fronta – Czechoslovak National Front

NKVDNarodnii Kommissariat Vnutrënnikh Del – The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs

RVHPRada vzájomnej hospodárskej pomoci – Council for Mutual Economic Assistance

SEDSozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands – Socialist Unity Party of Germany

SNPSlovenské Národnie Povstanie – Slovak National Uprising

SNRSlovenská Národná Ráda – Slovak National Council

SNSSlovenská Národná Strana – Slovak National Party

SSlStrana Slobody – Slovak Party of Freedom

SSSRSoiuz Sovietskich Socialističeskich Respublik – Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics

StBStátní Bezpečnost – Czechoslovak State Security Service

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Acknowledgements

This biography is the first academic study by a non-Slovak author that investigates the role of the Vesel family, especially the twin brothers Mirko and Milan Vesel, who were officers of the Czechoslovak (1918–1938) and Slovak (1938–1945) armies, respectively. The Vesel brothers were involved in the organization of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP), and they can be considered not only pars pro toto for the entire Vesel family, since all members were Czechoslovaks in the truest sense of Masaryk’s Republic, but also for those Slovak citizens critical of the Clerical-Fascist Tiso regime. Pater familias Ján Vesel and his wife Kornélia brought up their eleven children in the Czechoslovak spirit: loyalty to democracy, the Republic and the ideals of hard work, education and care for those who were less fortunate than themselves. The Vesels were not nationalists, let alone chauvinists; they did not promote hatred or discrimination but strove for education and a better future for all Slovaks and Czechs in Masaryk’s democracy.

I am no military historian, thus this study is focused on Slovak politics prior to and during WWII, and, of course, the Slovak National Uprising (SNP), which is still under-researched by Western historians. The material I found in Slovak and Czech archives is available to the English reader for the first time.

In this volume, I have tried to convey to the reader how the Slovak state (1939–1945) changed the lives of its citizens for the worse. I have made every effort to probe the Vesel brothers’ thoughts and activities with a rational and fair approach.

My thanks: I am greatly indebted to my colleagues and friends for their interest in my research and willingness to discuss specific issues with me. In alphabetical order: Jozef Banáš, Mária Banášová, Jasmin Dall’Agnola, Maroš Hertel, Lukas Joos, Vlasta Jaksicsová, Ivan Kamenec, Dušan Kováč, Slavomír Michálek, Miroslav Michela, and Jaroslava Roguľová.

I would like to thank Ludvík Nábělek for his foreword and the material from his family archive that he allowed me to use for this study. The Banská Bystrica radio station Slobodný Visieláč kindly invited me for interviews, in 2014 and 2019, to commemorate the SNP.

The ladies at the SNK Martin were, as always, professional, friendly, swift and uncomplicated: Ľudmila Šimková, Karin Šišmišová, and everybody else who helped me with the material – thank you. My thanks go also to Jitka Bílková, and Veronika Chroma, at the Archives of the State Security Forces at the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ABS ÚSTRČR) in Prague, and Mrs Vadajková and Mr Mikle of the Archive of the National Memory Institute (AÚPN) in Bratislava.

The ladies at the housing office of the Slovak Academy of Sciences SAV have made my annual research stays since 2008 such a joyful and uncomplicated matter: Mária, Božena and Ľubica, thank you. Valerie Lange at ibidem publishers is an exceptionally patient, effective and supportive editor. I thank Peter Thomas Hill for proofreading my manuscript.

This study could not have been written without the expertise of Ludvík Nábělek, head of the Banská Bystrica Psychiatric Clinic, grandson of Elena Nábělková and nephew once removed of Mirko and Milan Vesel. Ludvík supported this study with documents and photos from his family archive. Back in 2014, he and his lovely wife Alena, a doctor of neurology, showed me the cabin in Donovaly, where the twins Mirko and Milan, Ludvík Nábělek, Ludvík’s grandfather, and Vavro Šrobár wrote the call to arms, the famous Vyhláška, which launched the SNP.

Ivan Kamenec is probably one of the best historians of 20th-century Central European history – and a kind colleague. He has always made time to answer my questions, and I am honoured that he agreed to speak to me about the historiography of the SNP, a most important part of this study.

Needless to say, any errors and shortcomings in this volume are my own.

Josette Baer

Zurich, Bratislava and Prague, August 2019

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“The Reason why Men enter into Society, is the preservation of their Property; and the end why they chuse and authorize a Legislative, is that there may be Laws made, and Rules set as Guards and Fences to the Properties of all the Members of the Society, to limit the Power, and moderate the Dominion of every Part and Member of Society. […] whenever the Legislator endeavours to take away, and destroy the Property of the People, or to reduce them to Slavery under Arbitrary Power, they put themselves into a state of War with the People, who are thereupon absolved from any farther Obedience, and are left to the common Refuge, which God hath provided for all Men against Force and Violence.”1

X. Introduction2

This year, veterans who fought on the Eastern Front in WWII – Soviets, Finns, Slovaks and Czechs, Poles, French, Americans and British, in short, the victorious Allies – celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising (Slovenské Národnie Povstanie, SNP) of 29 August 1944. Slovak historians have published several excellent studies3 about the SNP. Unfortunately, they are not available in an international language.

This book is based on three sources: first, the extensively researched academic study by Slovak historian and former director of the SNP museum in Banská Bystrica Ladislav Takáč;4 second, material from the Vesel family archive that Ludvík Nábělek kindly provided; and third, material from the archives of the Czech and Slovak security services. All archive material is available to the English reader for the first time. I would like to draw attention to two persons: Mirko and Milan Vesel were twin brothers and officers in the Czechoslovak army. One could consider them as symbols, embodying the Czechoslovak resistance against the Nazi regime in the Slovak state with courage under fire that resulted in considerable suffering for their families but had the immensely important consequence, in political terms, that Czechoslovakia found herself on the side of the victorious Allies in May 1945.

Seventy-five years after the end of WWII, the Vesel twins, the Vesel family and the SNP are still largely unknown to the Western reader. They deserve our attention because we can learn from them: they were loyal to liberty, embodied in Czechoslovak democracy. The largest anti-Nazi uprising in Europe was planned by Slovak officers who considered themselves Czechoslovak citizens: on Slovak territory, they acted out of faith in and support for the Beneš exile government – which, in legal terms, made them traitors to the Slovak state, ruled by president Jozef Tiso (1887–1947).

This study consists of three parts: in chapter I, I present the Vesel family and its adherence to political Czechoslovakism. In chapter II, I shall briefly present how the new state came into being: Germany carved up Czechoslovakia into the pseudo-sovereign Slovak state and the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.5 Citizens’ lives changed with the end of Czechoslovak democracy; the new clerical-fascist regime in Slovakia, referring to itself as the Slovak Republic,6 modelled itself largely on the institutions of totalitarian Nazi Germany and would excel in its antisemitism. Chapter II also deals with the Vesel brothers’ involvement in the planning and launch of the SNP. Note that I cannot go into the details of the military planning and operations, since I am no military historian. Neither can I offer a thorough summary of all aspects of the Slovak state, since such an endeavour would demand a book in its own right. The third and final chapter is dedicated to the aftermath of the uprising and the Communist assumption of power on 25 February 1948. The new regime was cruel in its treatment of the Vesel brothers, whose fates can be seen as pars pro toto for the Slovaks and Czechs. The truth about their involvement in the SNP would come to light only after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, when historians were allowed to scrutinize the archives.

X.1 Method, Key Contexts, Research Questions

X.1.1 Method: Contextual Biography

Slovak historian Peter Jašek, the author of the first biography of Communist politician Vasil Biľak (1917–2014), about historiography under Communism: a historian’s task was, first and foremost, to follow the Marxist doctrine of scrutinizing the conditions and goals of the masses, the working class – individuals did not matter and thus writing biography was no task for a historian.7

This study has an interdisciplinary focus: it presents an analysis of political ideas on the background of established historical facts. The combination of political theory analysis with contextual biography8 is particularly suitable for a biography of the Vesel brothers, since it is based on a specific approach to biographical and historical writing. The contextual biography method offers us a deeper insight into the historical context, presupposing that a person’s activities, thoughts and personal impressions cannot be separated from the historical circumstances he or she was subject to. The British historian Sir Ian Kershaw, FBA (Fellow of the British Academy), on the method and its relevance:

“Any attempt to incorporate such themes [technology, demography, prosperity, democratization, ecology, political violence, add. JB] in a history of twentieth-century Europe would not by-pass the role of key individualswho helped to shape the epoch. […] They are neither their prime cause nor their inevitable consequence.New biographical approaches, which recognize this are desirable, even necessary. Their value will be, however, in using biography as a prism on wider issues of historical understanding and not in a narrow focus on private life and personality.”9

The method of contextual biography and the analysis of political thought as a dimensionof biographical writing affords a unique insight into Slovakia and Czechoslovakia’s political environment: the Vesels’ personal views and activities, perceptions of events and ideas render vibrant the historical context in which they thought and acted. Their ideas and thoughts act as a prism on the intellectual and political atmosphere of the clerical-fascist Slovak state and, also, their wish to re-establish democratic Czechoslovakia. The Vesels were democrats; they adhered to the Czechoslovak state theory that held high the values of liberty, tolerance, market economy, social welfare and human rights. Little did they know on the night of 29 August 1944, when they launched the uprising, that the Communists would destroy their endeavours, establishing only three years after the end of WWII a hitherto unknown regime of terror and oppression that was totalitarian in practice and theory: Soviet-type Marxism-Leninism.

Marxism-Leninism has been subject to countless historical, philosophical and sociological studies. Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin’s works can be found in libraries and on the Internet. For those willing to delve into the depths of Marxist-Leninist theory, I recommend Sir Isaiah Berlin’s (1909–1997) biography of Marx,10 the texts of Ernest Mandel (1923–1995),11 Neil Harding’s analysis of Leninism,12 and Leszek Kołakowski’s extensive and superb study of Marxist thought.13 Moreover, Edvard Radzinsky’s biography of Stalin,14 William Taubman’s biographies of Krushchev and Gorbachev,15The Black Book of Communism16, François Furet’s excellent historical study of Communism,17 and Tony Judt and Timothy Snyder’s debate about intellectuals in the 20th century offer excellent information.18The series of the Cold War International History Project (CWIHP papers),19 published at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington D.C., USA, offers outstanding research about the Soviet bloc, China and international politics during the Cold War.

X.1.2 Research Questions

To achieve a deeper insight into the subject matter of this investigation, readers should keep these questions at the back of their minds, let themselves be guided through the text by the following questions:

First, why did the Vesel brothers as officers of the Czechoslovak Army not join the Beneš exile army in Great Britain like so many other officers? What made them stay in Slovakia? Second, why did they, as Czechoslovak patriots, not engage in politics after the war, that is, in the brief three years of the guided democracy of the National Front?20 In view of their adherence to Masaryk’s political Czechoslovakism, it would have been only logical for the veterans of the SNP to join a centre-right party and engage in building what would be later called the second Czechoslovak Republic. So, why did they not engage in politics?

Let us now talk to an expert on the SNP.