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''Nástup'' (translated as "line up" "forming ranks", "deployment", or "ascent") was a semimonthly Slovak periodical, published between 1933 and 1940, that advocated Slovak autonomy,
ethnonationalism Ethnic nationalism, also known as ethnonationalism, is a form of nationalism wherein the nation and nationality are defined in terms of ethnicity, with emphasis on an ethnocentric (and in some cases an ethnostate/ethnocratic) approach to variou ...
, and
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
. Founded by Ferdinand Ďurčanský and his brother
Ján Ján is a Slovak form of the name John. Notable people named Ján * Ján Bahýľ (1856–1916), inventor * Ján Cuper (1946–2025), Slovak politician * Ján Čapkovič (born 1948), football player * Ján Čarnogurský (born 1944), Slovak p ...
, the magazine was oriented at younger Slovak Catholics, especially university students. Its readers, the most radical wing of the
Slovak People's Party Andrej Hlinka, Hlinka's Slovak People's Party (), also known as the Slovak People's Party (, SĽS) or the Hlinka Party, was a far-right Clerical fascism, clerico-fascist political party with a strong Catholic fundamentalism, Catholic fundamental ...
, were called "Nástupists" or "Nástup faction"; many of them had been previously affiliated with Rodobrana paramilitary and later with the Hlinka Guard paramilitary. Noted for its hostility to the Czechoslovak state and its insistence that Jews could never be part of the Slovak nation, the paper admired some aspects of
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
, but disagreed with those which could not be reconciled with Catholicism. Israeli historian Yetayashu Jelínek described ''Nástup'' as offering "a ''
sui generis ( , ) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/their own kind" or "in a class by itself", therefore "unique". It denotes an exclusion to the larger system an object is in relation to. Several disciplines use the term to refer to unique entities. ...
'' brand of extreme rightist ideology". Ultimately, the paper was banned and shut down in 1940 following Nazi interference in the
Salzburg Conference The Salzburg Conference () was a conference between Nazi Germany and the Slovak State, held on 28 July 1940, in Salzburg, Reichsgau Ostmark (present-day Austria). The Germans demanded the expulsion of the ''Nástup'' faction of the Slovak Peopl ...
, as ''Nástup'' favored an independent, as opposed to pro-German, foreign policy.


History

''Nástup'' was founded by Ferdinand Ďurčanský and his brother
Ján Ján is a Slovak form of the name John. Notable people named Ján * Ján Bahýľ (1856–1916), inventor * Ján Cuper (1946–2025), Slovak politician * Ján Čapkovič (born 1948), football player * Ján Čarnogurský (born 1944), Slovak p ...
in April 1933 following the decline of the Rodobrana paramilitary organization, officially dissolved in 1929. Officially, its name was ''Nástup mladej slovenskej autonomistickej generácie'' (The Ascent of the Young Slovak Autonomist Generation), but it was commonly referred to as ''Nástup''. Historian Sabine Witt suggests that the title may derive from the 1929 poem "Nástup otrávených" (The Deployment of the Poisoned) by Andrej Žarnov, which was banned for its advocacy of Slovak autonomy. Published semimonthly, ''Nástup'' was popular among young Slovak nationalists, especially students and university graduates. Editorial staff was derived from the
Slovak People's Party Andrej Hlinka, Hlinka's Slovak People's Party (), also known as the Slovak People's Party (, SĽS) or the Hlinka Party, was a far-right Clerical fascism, clerico-fascist political party with a strong Catholic fundamentalism, Catholic fundamental ...
's main publication, ' (), as well as '' Rozvoj'' (). There was a significant continuity between Rodobrana, ''Nástup'', and the later Hlinka Guard paramilitary, founded in 1938. Vojtech Tuka and
Alexander Mach Alexander "Šaňo" Mach (11 October 1902 – 15 October 1980) was a Slovakia, Slovak nationalist politician. Mach was associated with the far right wing of Slovak nationalism and became noted for his strong support of Nazism and Germany. Early ...
, some of the movers behind the creation of Rodobrana, were also key members of the Nástup faction and supported the paper. In 1933, Nástupists disrupted a commemoration event for
Saints Cyril and Methodius Cyril (; born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (; born Michael, 815–885) were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are ...
, forcing the organizers to allow
Andrej Hlinka Andrej Hlinka (born 27 September 1864 – 16 August 1938) was a Slovak Roman Catholic priest, journalist, banker, politician, and one of the most important Slovak public activists in Czechoslovakia before World War II. He was the leader of the ...
, leader of the Slovak People's Party, to speak. This triggered arrests of some of the rioters and a temporary ban on the paper. It was also banned for six months in late 1934 and early 1935. From late 1934, the paper received funding from the Polish Foreign Ministry. Although Hlinka once denied that ''Nástup'' had any affiliation with the Slovak People's Party, in fact all of the periodical's writers were party members and wielded increasing influence over Hlinka and his party. The paper was banned again following the July 1940
Salzburg Conference The Salzburg Conference () was a conference between Nazi Germany and the Slovak State, held on 28 July 1940, in Salzburg, Reichsgau Ostmark (present-day Austria). The Germans demanded the expulsion of the ''Nástup'' faction of the Slovak Peopl ...
in which the Germans targeted Nástupists, objecting to their refusal to follow an exclusively pro-German foreign policy, and permanently discontinued the same year.


Content

According to Israeli historian Gila Fatran, ''Nástup'' was the first Czechoslovak newspaper "to come out openly with anti-Czech, antisemitic and anti-democratic statements". In its first issue in 1933, ''Nástup'' called for Czechoslovakia to become a
federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
, which was anathema at the time because it would require a fundamental change in the constitution. It opposed the proposal that the Slovak People's Party should support for
Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1939 to 1948. During the first six years of his second stint, he led the Czec ...
in the 1935 Czechoslovak presidential election or join the government after the
1935 Czechoslovak parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 19 May 1935.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p471 The result was a victory for the newly established Sudeten German Party, which won 44 seats i ...
, and tried to remove
Jozef Tiso Jozef Gašpar Tiso (, ; 13 October 1887 – 18 April 1947) was a Slovaks, Slovak politician and Catholic priest who served as president of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), First Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany during World War ...
from a position of influence in the Slovak People's Party. The journal's hostility to the Czechoslovak state also led it to support the
Sudeten German German Bohemians ( ; ), later known as Sudeten Germans ( ; ), were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of Czechoslovakia. Before 1945, over three million German Bohemians constitu ...
radical Konrad Henlein, and it was skeptical that the Slovak People's Party could accomplish its goals by democratic means. The first issue also contained a pseudonymously authored two-part article on
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
, which concluded: "We are basically fighting for the same goals as German Nazism: for a political, economic and cultural renewal. Only our circumstances are different." The same article also condemned racism and violence as contrary to Catholic teaching, and Nazism as a potential enemy because it did not adhere to Christian values. The magazine at times admired Nazism in Germany, and promoted fascism to the Slovak People's Party, although it disagreed with the
anti-clerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, ...
element of Nazism. Nevertheless, historian Thomas Lorman wrote that, despite attempts to distinguish its ideology from Nazism, this could come across as ambiguous or a "perfunctory afterthought". From its first issue, the paper predicted the victory of Nazism all over Europe. Israeli historian Yetayashu Jelínek described ''Nástup'' as offering "a ''
sui generis ( , ) is a Latin phrase that means "of its/their own kind" or "in a class by itself", therefore "unique". It denotes an exclusion to the larger system an object is in relation to. Several disciplines use the term to refer to unique entities. ...
'' brand of extreme rightist ideology" because it insisted on an independent (as opposed to pro-German) foreign policy. The newspaper opposed alliance between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia; instead, ''Nástup'' preferred closer relations with the right-wing authoritarian regimes in Central Europe. As its primary audience was young Catholics, the periodical frequently aired grievances related to professors and the Slovak language in education. Viewing itself as part of a "fascist new order" in Europe, ''Nástup'' advocated for a racial or ethnic definition for the Slovak nation and "cleansing" of minority groups, especially Jews. ''Nástup'' promoted antisemitism, and "blamed Jews for everything", including the French Revolution, liberalism, immoral capitalism, socialism, and an alleged global
moral decline Decadence was a late-19th-century movement emphasizing the need for sensationalism, egocentricity, and bizarre, artificial, perverse, and exotic sensations and experiences. By extension, it may refer to a decline in art, literature, science, ...
. ''Nástup'' also blamed Jews for the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
and Soviet communism, according to the conspiracy theory of Judeo-Bolshevism. In the first issue, the paper argued for extending the
Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses The Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses () in Germany began on April 1, 1933, and was claimed to be a defensive reaction to the anti-Nazi boycott, which had been initiated in March 1933. It was largely unsuccessful, as the German population conti ...
to Slovakia and urged readers to "shop only in Slovak shops... advertise only in Slovak newspapers... give jobs only to Slovaks". The periodical argued that Jews constituted a separate race from Slovaks. A typical claim was that Jews try "to subvert what is steadfast, to devalue what is valuable, to disrupt what is harmonizing, and to corrupt what is beautiful". The paper also connected the Czechoslovak tolerance for Jews with previous tolerance by Hungarian authorities, condemning both. According to ''Nástup'' in 1938:


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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nastup 1933 establishments in Slovakia 1945 disestablishments in Czechoslovakia Antisemitism in Slovakia Defunct magazines published in Slovakia Defunct political magazines Fascist publications Jewish Bolshevism Magazines established in 1933 Magazines disestablished in 1945 Magazines published in Slovakia Slovak People's Party