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Vavrinec Ján Šrobár, known as Vavro Šrobár (9 August 1867 – 6 December 1950) was a Slovak medical doctor and politician. He was a major figure in Slovak politics in the
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 ( ...
. Šrobár played an important role in the creation 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 ...
in 1918 following the collapse of 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 ...
and served in a variety of ministerial roles between the wars. He also served for many years as a representative in the Czechoslovak parliament and was a
tenure Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...
d professor in the history of medicine. Šrobár retired from public life before the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but following the war he resumed a ministerial career in the re-established Czechoslovak government in the five years before his death.


Early life and education

Born in
Lisková Lisková () is a village in the Ružomberok District of north-central Slovakia. It lies at an elevation of 484 m and has an area of 15.95 km2. It had a population of 2,077 in 2011. History In historical records the village was first mention ...
(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 ...
), he was educated between 1878 and 1882 at the gymnasium in
Ružomberok Ružomberok (; ; ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, in the historical Liptov region. It has a population of approximately 27,000. Etymology The name of the initial settlement located on today's Makovický street was ''Revúca'' ( Slovak "roaring ...
where only the
Hungarian language Hungarian, or Magyar (, ), is an Ugric language of the Uralic language family spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighboring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Out ...
– which he did not speak – was used as the language of education. He moved to the German-speaking gymnasium at
Levoča Levoča (; ; ) is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...
between 1882 and 1883 before moving on, between 1883 and 1886, to the gymnasia at
Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
and
Přerov Přerov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is we ...
in
Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...
, from which he ultimately graduated. As he was a Slovak he was not permitted to graduate from gymnasia in
Upper Hungary Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ). During the ...
(corresponding mostly to present-day
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
). From 1888 to 1898 Šrobár studied medicine at
Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...
in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, where he chaired the student organisation ''Detvan''.


Political emergence

After graduating he returned to Ružomberok and became the founder and chief editor of the journal ''Hlas'' ("The Voice"), published by and in support of progressive young Slovak intellectuals who opposed the
Slovak National Party The Slovak National Party (, SNS) is an ultranationalist political party in Slovakia. The party characterizes itself as a nationalist party based on both social and European Christian values. Since 1990 SNS has won seats in every Slovak pa ...
's conservative approach to politics. He was a supporter and acquaintance of
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...
, the sociologist and philosopher who went on to be the founder and first President 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 ...
. After unsuccessfully running for a seat in the
Diet of Hungary The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale () was the most important political assembly in Hungary since the 12th century, which emerged to the position of the supreme legislative institution in the Kingdom ...
, his agitation on behalf of Slovak causes led to him being imprisoned for a year in 1906 along with
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 ...
, on the grounds of "instigation against the Magyar nationality". He had continued to work as a doctor and in 1909 he published ''Ľudová obrázková zdravoveda'' ("Illustrated Guide to Public Health"). Slovak aspirations towards independence continued to simmer during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, accompanied by the rise of an agrarian movement with which Šrobár was involved. Along with
Anton Štefánek Anton Štefánek (15 April 1877 – 29 April 1964) was a Slovak politician and sociologist who was involved in the campaign for Czech and Slovak unity and independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was an important promoter of the concept ...
and
Pavol Blaho Pavol is a masculine Slovak given name, equivalent to Paul. Notable people with the name * Pavol Adami (1739–1795), Slovak scientist and scholar, one of the first veterinarians * Pavol Bajza (born 1991), Slovak footballer * Pavol Baláž ( ...
, he visited Slovak villages to promote the course of Czech and Slovak unity and to provide both a political and a cultural education to the peasants. He also involved himself with the
Czechoslovak National Council The Czechoslovak National Council (or Czecho-Slovak National Council) was an organization founded by Czech and Slovak émigrés during World War I to liberate their homeland from Austria-Hungary. During the closing weeks of the war, the Czechoslov ...
(CNR), an émigré organisation led by
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 ...
that campaigned abroad for an independent Czechoslovak state. He acted as a representative for the ''Maffie'', the CNR's underground operation in the Czech lands and Slovakia. By the end of the war the Austro-Hungarian Empire was beginning to disintegrate and on 1 May 1918 Šrobár proclaimed the Slovak people's right to self-determination and to create a common state with the Czechs. He was arrested by the Hungarian authorities and imprisoned until October 1918 when the empire collapsed.


Career in inter-war Czechoslovakia

Šrobár was appointed the Slovak chairman of the CNR and signed the new Czechoslovak state's proclamation of independence, which was read out in Prague on 28 October. He was the only Slovak involved. He was not by any means a major political figure in Slovakia at the time and his involvement only a few days after his release from prison was quite fortuitous, as he later recalled: The CNR had not, in fact, given any thought to issuing an official invitation to the Slovaks (whose own
Slovak National Council The Slovak National Council (, SNR) was an organisation that was formed at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries to act as the highest representative of the Slovak nation. It originated in the mid-19th century as a focus for Slovak nationali ...
would issue its own declaration of independence two days later, unaware of the CNR's actions) but as Šrobár was well known to Masaryk and the other Czech leaders he was accepted as a representative of Slovakia. The oversight was indicative of the Czech leaders' drive to create a Czech-led Czechoslovakia, with the Slovaks relegated to a subordinate role. Over the following two months Šrobár founded the provisional government of Slovakia and became both the Czechoslovak minister of health and the minister for the administration of Slovakia. He retained both posts until 1920 and contributed significantly to the establishment of Czechoslovak rule in Slovakia, exercising virtually dictatorial powers on behalf of the Prague government. It was Šrobár's decision to make the former Austrian city of Pressburg – now
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
– the administrative capital of Slovakia, despite only 15% of its pre-war population being Slovaks. He also chose who would represent Slovakia on the newly established
Revolutionary National Assembly A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...
. Only 54 of its 256 members were from Slovakia, and of those only 41 were ethnic Slovaks.
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
s outnumbered
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
s – the majority denomination in Slovakia – by three to one, reflecting Šrobár's pro-Lutheran leanings but angering the Slovak Catholic clergy and increasing ethnic and religious tensions in the new state. He dissolved the Slovak National Council on 8 January 1919 as part of a centralising drive, for which he was widely criticised,Miller, p. 66 and a year later Slovakia itself was abolished as an administrative unit under the new constitution. Šrobár served as a member of the Czechoslovak parliament between 1918 and 1925, representing the Slovak National Republican and Peasant Party initially and subsequently the
Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants The Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants (, , RSZML) was a centre-right agrarianism, agrarian party of Czechoslovakia, seen as representing big business and agriculture. In the period up to 1935 it was the biggest and most influential politi ...
after a merger with another party in the early 1920s. Šrobár's ministerial career continued between 1920 and 1923 with appointments as the minister for public health and physical education, minister for the unification of laws and organisation of information, and minister of education and national enlightenment. In 1923 Šrobár submitted his post-doctoral thesis in social medicine at
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
's
Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...
. He was elected to the Czechoslovak Senate in 1925 and acted the chair of the Agrarian Club in the Senate between 1925 and 1929. He published a two-volume work, ''Oslobodené Slovensko'' (''Liberated Slovakia''), between 1928 and 1932, and in 1935 he was appointed by Comenius University as a tenured professor for the history of medicine. Two years later, in 1937, he retired from academic and political life.


Second World War and post-war career

During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, when Slovakia was a nominally independent pro-Nazi puppet state, Šrobár was discreetly active as a supporter of the anti-fascist Czechoslovak opposition. He became co-chairman of the revived Slovak National Council in 1944, representing the non-Communist elements of the anti-fascist movement, and wrote the text of a statement read by
Jozef Styk Jozef ( Creole, Dutch, Breton, and Slovak) or Józef ( Polish) are variants of the masculine given name Joseph in several European languages. A selection of people with that name follows. For a comprehensive list, see and . * Józef Beck (1894� ...
on 30 August 1944 that launched the
Slovak National Uprising Slovak National Uprising ( Slovak: ''Slovenské národné povstanie'', abbreviated SNP; alternatively also ''Povstanie roku 1944'', English: ''The Uprising of 1944'') was organised by the Slovak resistance during the Second World War, directed ag ...
against the pro-Nazi government. After the war he was appointed minister of finance in the restored Czechoslovakia and served in this role until 1947. Šrobár also founded the Catholic Freedom Party in 1946, which later merged into the Czechoslovak National Front, and published an autobiography, ''Z môjho života'' (''From My Life'') in the same year. He subsequently served as minister for the unification of laws. He continued in this role in the Communist government of
Klement Gottwald Klement Gottwald (; 23 November 1896 – 14 March 1953) was a Czech communist politician, who was the leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1929 until his death in 1953 – titled as general secretary until 1945 and as chairman f ...
that came to power in the
Czechoslovak coup d'etat of 1948 Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) ** Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Rep ...
. On 6 December 1950, Šrobár died in Olomouc in Moravia and was initially buried there. His body was later reinterred in St Martin's Cemetery in Bratislava.


Further reading

*


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Srobar, Vavro 1867 births 1950 deaths People from Ružomberok District People from the Kingdom of Hungary Slovak National Party (historical) politicians Republican Party of Farmers and Peasants politicians Democratic Party (Slovakia, 1944) politicians Freedom Party (Slovakia) politicians Finance ministers of Czechoslovakia Government ministers of Czechoslovakia Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Czechoslovakia (1920–1925) Members of the Senate of Czechoslovakia (1925–1929) Members of the Senate of Czechoslovakia (1929–1935) Members of the Interim National Assembly of Czechoslovakia Slovak independence activists Charles University alumni Physicians from Austria-Hungary