SVETOZÁR HURBAN VAJANSKÝ’S PAN-SLAVISM
AND HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE POLES AND THE POLISH QUESTION
Mateusz Gniazdowski
Studia Politica Slovaca, 2025, vol. 18, no. 1, p. 6-26
Language: Slovak
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/SPS.2025-1.1
Abstract
Svetozár Hurban Vajanský (1847–1916), one of the leaders of the Slovak national movement, became an influential advocate of Pan-Slavism through his use of Slavophile rhetoric. He was not merely an idealistic dreamer — for decades, he actively supported Russia‘s imperial ambitions and was visibly influenced by them, both ideologically and materially. Although he never presented a coherent political programme or a clear vision for Slovakia’s place within the imperial framework, his actions consistently served the interests of Russian policy towards subject peoples. He cooperated with Russian nationalists, reinforcing their narrative of alleged ‘separatism’ among communities subjugated by the Russian Empire. On the Polish question, he operated under the influence of his Russian sponsors and collaborators. This article analyses Vajanský’s journalism and correspondence to explore the nature of his Russophilia and his views on Poland. It highlights the role of the financial support he received from Russia, his contacts with professors at the Imperial University of Warsaw, and the similarities between his views and those of his Russian associates. The article also examines his sharp attacks on Neo-Slavism and the reactions his writings provoked among Polish readers. An interdisciplinary approach combining historical, philological, and political science perspectives is employed to reconstruct selected aspects of Vajanský’s thought and the broader conditions that shaped it.
Keywords
Svetozár Hurban Vajanský, Pan-Slavism, Russophilism, Polish Question, Russian imperialism, Slovak national movement, Neo-Slavism, Imperial University of Warsaw, Slovak-Russian relations
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 4.0 International License.