The study has five chapters that deal with the issues related to the educational level of Hungarian minority in Slovakia. In the first chapter, the author outlines the geographical, territorial division of the Hungarian minority, and its density on the language territories. Consequently, on 410 territories the Hungarian population forms the majority of the population. Therefore, the Hungarian nationality is considered as an economic, and mainly agricultural factor. The second part analyses the educational level, in harmony with the present European directions, focusing mainly on the three-level higher education and life-long education. The third chapter deals with the analysis of the educational level of the Hungarian nationality, dividing it into five thematic parts. These are based on the population sensus made in 1991 and 2001. The detailed analysis show the changes of those who were on the level of those who have elementary, secondary, high school with or without leaving examination, higher education, and the negative and positive development tendencies of the Hungarian nationality. The third chapter analyses the reasons of lower a educational level, discussing in detail the tendencies of changes in the last 15 years in high-school and higher education and how these affect the increase the... continue reading →
This year on 19th it will be eight years of the Bologne process. During this short time European university education changed a big deal, and from 2004 as part of the European University Education and Research Field even more fundamental changes characterized the new joining countries, comprising the Slovak university education, too. This study shows in detail what results Slovakia achieved in the Bologne process. In the short summarizing introduction the study introduces the basic goals of the process and those economic and social motives that started it and powerfully urges it to continue. In the second part the study analyses the situation of the Slovak education before the Bologne process. The application of the one-level educational system, the basic and main study systems, the credit systems served as good starting points for the realization of the Bologne process at the Slovak university institutions. Slovakia between the firts who created the act effective from April 1, 2002 on introducing the Bologne process in its every institution. All organiations have been created and operate in Slovakia that help the realization of the process. In Slovakia, 11 basic fields were defined to adapt the goals of the Bologne process, that follow... continue reading →
This study presents the findings of the research program ‘Hungárián MinoritySettlements and Regions in the Carpathian Basin in the 20th Century’ conducted in the framework of the NKFP. The site of the research was the microregion situated in the south borderlands of the Sekler land, Erdővidék. Erdővidék is a region populated almost exclusively by ethnic Hungarians withHungárián administrative leadership, Hungárián school networkand significantminority Hungárián (or from Hungary) economic influence. Four settlementsFelsőrákos (Racosul de Sus), Bibarcfalva (Biborteni), Nagybacon (Bátanii Mari) és Bárót (Baraolt) were included int he research of the Erdővidék micro-region. The research was based upon the investigation of everyday life and thecomparative examination of the questions posed by the peculiarities of localsocieties. The analysis was based on many perspectives. First, it examinedinstitutional levels. It was completed by the theme of expression and admittance by the local leading authorities of national peculiarities that feature the micro-region or settlement. The study focused on the functioning of relationships with Hungary and the image of Hungary and Hungarians within local communities. The third theme concerned the existence of (mentái and geographical) borders of the micro-region and the conscious admittance of these borders. Italsó focused on the relationships of local people with... continue reading →
This study examines the 1970 and 1980 census data of municipalities of Slovakia inhabited by national minorities. The data rows of the two censuses related to national minorities could not be examined earlier as they only became available in the years following the turn of the millennium. The data series, besides those concerning the seven national minorities of Slovakia (Czechs, Slovaks, Ukrainian-Ruthenians, Russians, Polish, Hungarians, Germans), also contain data on other national minorities and those with unknown national identity. In this study we analyse data broken down by administrative units (counties, districts), municipality sizes, proportion of national minorities, and the number of members belonging to the individual minority communities. We examine the changes in the consolidated municipal data rows of majority and minority, as well as the changes in the data of the individual national minorities separately. Based on the analysed data, we can see the modifications of the ethnic spatial structure in the reviewed period in Slovakia. For better understanding, the changes taking place over the decades are further detailed by graphs and charts. continue reading →
Security policy of the USA, Great Britain, France, and Germany. Factors of security policy: geographical abilities, geographical environment, geo-political situation and historical traditions of the country, strategy culture, self-definition and relative power of the country, global and regional security environment. Changes of security policy after lltn September 2001 in New York. The author after examining the security policy of the USA, Great Britain, France, and Germany states that there are considerable differences in the security policy of the USA and their European partners, allies that evidently showed up during the war against Iraq. One of the very important reasons of the differences can be found in historical experience and in the events after the Second World War. The USA neither had to face direct threat from the side of strong neighbours, nor the country’s domestic and security policy had to count with considerable enemy in its direct geo-political environment. Consequently, the American strategy culture is much more “free” – comparing it with the European. The new direction of the USA’s security policy after the terrorist attack on 11th September 2001 in New York and later after the Iraq war can be viewed as the reaction of the only... continue reading →
Members of national minorities practice their official language use first of all in their communication with the local government. In this study, I examine the framework and circumstances of application of the minority language use in local governments of Slovakia. At the moment of the finalization of this study, on 10th June, 2011, the Amendment of Law No. 184/1999 on the Use of Minority Languages (“minority language law”) was already adopted. The wording of the law to come in force can determine the framework of the minority language use in the long run, and if it would, for some reason, not come in force, we could regard it as an interesting testimony on the era. In the course of discussing the particular provisions, I touch upon the analyses elaborated by Hungarian linguists in Slovakia, as well as the assessments of minority language rights. continue reading →
The main goal of the study is to demonstrate the tax reform that took place in Slovakia in 2004 and its economic and social consequences as well. The authors of the study defined three main goals, of which the goal of the first is to demonstrate those new ideas and reforms that stand behind the tax reforms. The second most important goal of the study is to demonstrate the consequences of the tax reform made in Slovakia on the population and the Slovak economic system as well. The third, (less important) goal of the study is to emphasize those elements of the Slovak tax reform that were successfully made and those that – according to the authors – are not advisory to follow in a possible planned tax reform of another country. The set goals are reflected by the structure of the study, that consists of three parts. The first part is an introduction that shows the role of taxation in the modern market economy and outlines the possible tax reforms. This part gives a picture on the tax reforms that have been made recently, that inspired the Slovak tax reform in a great extent. The second part of... continue reading →
The situation of national minorities has been analysed on wider basis by many international and also Hungarian experts, scholars, mainly from legal, political and sociological aspects. A number of special proposals have been put forward in order to make minority rights more enforceable, and applicable on a larger scale. Reality shows, however, that the practical implementation of these proposals has several obstacles. Therefore, rather efforts for keeping the topic on the agenda and maintaining a dialogue about the problems of national minorities could possibly lead to a more favourable outcome. This study deals with the identity formation of national minorities, also covering difficulties connected with practicing these rights. The author pays particular attention to the Hungarian minority living in Slovakia, and also focuses on the attitude of the government towards their problems. She also examines which regulations should be adopted in order to enable national minorities to exercise their rights in practice as well. continue reading →
During the organisation process of Sub-carpathia to become a political region parallel with the official political events arising mainly as the Russian issue the local Hungarian community went through a unique route. It took a long time to become aware of the fact that the new borders mean not only a temporary situation, but they are final. Within the Hungarian community in the first steps was the creation of own political organisations. In this early period the Sub-Carpathian Hungarian parties were created: Hungarian Legal Party, Autonomic Party of Original Inhabitants, Christian-Socialistic Party, the Party of Small Landowners, Craftsmen, and Farmers. From the beginning the Hungnarian section of the Czechoslovak Communistic Party had a big influence on the population. From the Hungarian parties to the second part of the 1920’s the Hungarian Legal Party and the Autonomic Party of Original Inhabitants were cancelled. The Party of Small Landowners, Farmers, and Industrials was transformed to the Hungarian National Party, that concluded alliance with the Christian-Socialistic Party that enables co-operation. At the elections of the Hungaria continue reading →
The epoch between the two world wars was of key importance from the point of view of the history of photography. This was the period when depart from photographic picturesqueness took place worldwide. Even more changes can be registered in historical terms, as peace treaties closing the First World War re-mapped Central and Eastern Europe. This study examines the consequences of these two transformations in the field of Czechoslovak–Hungarian photographic relations. There is no precedent for such a review yet—fine arts research is, in this regard, further ahead. Although historical/political conditions at the time carried a lot of tension, and, on occasion, they overshadowed professional relationships too, it can be concluded that in the field of photography the issue of quality had been given greater emphasis on both sides than politics. This paper attempts to illuminate how the prevailing perceptions of photography had evolved at that time in the two countries compared to the international changes of the photographic language, and how this had reflected in the relationships. We probably do not possess all the knowledge on this yet, so further mutual reflections would be desirable in order to deepen understanding of the topic. continue reading →
