Irena Káňová (5 April 1893 – 8 April 1963) was a Slovak politician who served in the of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

from 1919 until 1920 as a member of the Social Democratic Workers' Party. She was the only Slovak woman to serve in the Czechoslovak parliament during the entire

Interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. Following her tenure, Káňová joined the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...

and organized labor strikes. She was a member of the Slovak resistance during World War II.

Biography

Irena Káňová was born on 5 April 1893 in the town of

Banská Štiavnica Banská Štiavnica (; ; , ) is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as the Štiavnica Mountains. Banská Štiavnica has a population of ...

in central Slovakia, then part of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

within the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. Her parents were Anton Frindt and Anna Chválová. Her father worked as a shoemaker, and she had two brothers. Káňová attended local schools in Banská Štiavnica. Her husband was shoemaker Ján Kaňa, and they had two daughters and one son together. From 1919 until her retirement in 1949, Káňová worked at a

tobacco factory The Tobacco Factory is the last remaining part of the old W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory site on Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol. It was saved from demolition by the architect and former mayor of the city George Ferguson and through his ...

in Banská Štiavnica. Káňová joined the

Social Democratic Party of Hungary The Social Democratic Party of Hungary (, , MSZDP) is a social democracy, social democratic list of political parties in Hungary, political party in Hungary. Historically, the party was dissolved during Government of National Unity (Hungary), the ...

in 1917, and was interred in Terezin during the

First Hungarian Republic The First Hungarian Republic (), until 21 March 1919 the Hungarian People's Republic (), was a short-lived unrecognized country, which quickly transformed into a small rump state due to the foreign and military policy of the doctrinaire pacifis ...

for organizing

class conflict In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

. After the formation of

, she joined the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party. On 5 December 1919, Káňová was appointed to the of the

First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic, often colloquially referred to as the First Republic, was the first Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938, a union of ethnic Czechs and Slovaks. The country was commonly called Czechosl ...

to finish the term of

Alice Masaryková Alice Masaryková or Alice Garrigue Masaryk (3 May 1879 – 29 November 1966) was a Czech teacher, sociology, sociologist and politician. She is a prominent figure within the field of applied sociology and known to many as the daughter of Tomáš ...

. Aged 26, Káňová was the youngest member of parliament and was the only Slovak woman to serve in the Czechoslovak parliament during the entire

. Her tenure began before women were granted suffrage in Czechoslovakia, which occurred on 29 February 1920. While in parliament, she advocated for legislation regarding breastfeeding, along with Anna Sychravová. Káňová served until the end of her term on 15 April 1920. In 1921, Káňová joined the newly-formed

and distributed the party magazine ''Proletárka''. She was also involved in the Czechoslovak women's movement and organized labor strikes. During World War II, Káňová and her husband were members of the Slovak resistance. Following the war, she was an active member of the

Communist Party of Slovakia The Communist Party of Slovakia (, KSS) is a communist party in Slovakia, formed in 1992 through the merger of the Communist Party of Slovakia – 91 and the Communist League of Slovakia. The party is observer of the Party of the European Lef ...

and the Slovak Women's Union. She also served as a local party official during this period. Káňová died in

Žiar nad Hronom Žiar nad Hronom (slang: Žiar, , ; until 1920 ''Svätý Kríž'' and until 1955 ''Svätý Kríž nad Hronom'') is a city in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia. Name development The name of the settlement has gone through multiple developments. P ...

on 8 April 1963.

Biography

References

Further reading