The Slovak-Hungarian «Small War» in the Context of the Post-Munich Crisis in Bilateral Relations (March – September 1939)

The Munich Agreement had a profound effect on the national-territorial conflict between Czecho-Slovakia and Hungary. The first Vienna Award on November 2, 1938 resolved it in favor of Hungary. The consequences of the arbitration created a new configuration in the territorial dispute between autonomous Slovakia within the Second Republic and Hungary, involving Poland as well. Warsaw sought to obtain a joint Polish-Hungarian border, which led to the events of November 1938 – the Polish operation «Lom» in Transcarpathia failed, but local battles in the areas of Čadca and Javorina ended with the last adjustment of the post-Munich delimitation in favor of Poland. Since January 1939 incidents began on the Slovak-Hungarian border. In view of the threat of dismemberment of Slovakia on March 14, it declared independence. Hungary occupied Carpatho-Ukraine and then unleashed the «Small War» (March 23–31). Hungary received 1,050 sq. km with a population of 40 thousand people, half of whom were Slovaks. Slovak-Hungarian relations acquired a hostile character. Germany made the conflict between the two countries the subject of political blackmail, which was one of the reasons for their joining the fascist «axis».