Liptov's Demands The most comprehensive public political program
of the Slovak national and revolutionary movement until this time,
was drawn up in the spring of 1848. On March 7 a group of Slovak
patriots gathered at Liptovsky Svaty Mikulas of the parish of M. M.
Hodza. The following day, the notary, L'udovit Klein, proposed the
political program drawn up by the Slovak patriots to popular
acclaimation at a public gathering of several thousand persons.
These demands welcomed the revolutionary changes and new freedoms in the Danubian monarchy and in Hungary. In contrast to the liberal nobles' support of an aristocratic and Hungarian regime, they demanded civil and national freedom as a necessary condition for human freedom. Asserting that the the guarantee of Slovak nationality was necessary for popular participation in public life, they demanded representation for the sovereign Slovak nation in the imperial Diet, primary education in Slovak, and Slovak to be used in administration of the county's offices and the issuance of official announcements.
Despite the moderate aspiration to guarantee only a national language, while recognizing the unity of Hungary and the diplomatic character of the Hungarian language, they did not forward their demands to the other Hungarian counties, the imperial government, palatine, nor did they register the demands in the minutes of Liptov's county government.
The county's committee, composed exclusively of noblemen, postponed the registration of demands for tactical reasons. After the calming of dissatisfaction and awaiting the arrival of military to Liptovsky Svaty Mikulay, they forced the initiators to withdraw the petition. The Hungarian government dismissed the Slovak national efforts as pan-Slavic and communistic mutiny.
Although failing in their objective of forcing the Hungarian
government to make concessions on the national question,
publication of the Liptov's Demands in the Slovak national
newspaper influenced further activity powitively. The increase in
self-reliance of the Slovak national movement became an inspiration
for further demands drawn up at Nitra.
JGC revised this file
(http://www.ohiou.edu/~chastain/ip/liptov.htm) on
October 22, 2004
Please E-mail comments or suggestions to chastain@www.ohiou.edu<
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© 1998, 2004 James Chastain.
Dusan Skarvna