Slovak People's Party (WFAC)

The Slovak People's Party (Slovak: Slovenská ľudová strana, abbreviated SĽS, often shortened to ľudáci) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Czechoslovakia. The SĽS operates only in Slovak Federal Republic, while its larger sister party, the Czechoslovak People's Party (ČSL), operates in the Czech Federal Republic.

At the federal level, the CSU forms a common 'ČSL/SĽS' faction in the Federal Assembly with the ČSL, which is frequently referred to as the People's Coalition (Czech: lidovci koalice, Slovak: ľudáci koalície). Until the 2013 election, the SĽS governed at the federal level along with the ČSL in a coalition government led by the Republican Party (RS).

Relationship with the ČSL
The SĽS is the sister party of the Czechoslovak People's Party (ČSL). Together, they are called the People's Coalition (Czech: lidovci koalice, Slovak: ľudáci koalície). The SĽS operates only within the Slovak Federal Republic, and the ČSL operates in the Czech Federal Republic. While virtually independent, at the federal level, the parties form a common ČSL/SĽS faction. Below the federal level, the parties are entirely independent. Since its formation, the SĽS has been more conservative than the ČSL. It is also regarded as a right-populistic party.

History
The Slovak People's Party arose at a time when Slovakia was still part of Austria-Hungary and fought for democratic freedoms, Slovak national rights and against liberalism. It was formed on 29 July 1913 in Žilina as a splinter party from the Slovak National Party, due to disagreements over the Slovak National Party's strong Czecho-Slovak orientation. The Party's chairman was Andrej Hlinka, other leaders were Ferdiš Juriga and František Skyčák.

During World War I, the SĽS (just like the SNS) stopped being politically active in order to prevent any possible pretext for accusations of activities against the Austrian-Hungarian state. In 1918, Hlinka and Juriga solidly supported idea of common Czechoslovak state and signed Martin Declaration which refused jurisdiction of the Hungarian government over Slovakia. The party participated in the creation of the (2nd) Slovak National Council that existed from October 1918 to January 1919. Its leaders helped to consolidate a situation in Czechoslovakia in the first weeks of her existence. After the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak People's Party renewed its activities on December 19, 1918 in Žilina. On 17 October 1925 it was renamed the Hlinka Slovak People's Party (HSLS). Almost for the whole inter-war period, the HSLS was the most popular party in Slovakia. Until 1938, the HSLS acted as a standard part of democratic political spectrum. The party operated mostly in opposition but not as a destructive power and preserved loyalty to Czechoslovakia. All of its programs had religious, national, social and constitutional character. Ideology of HSLS was based on papal encyclicals Rerum novarum and Quadragesimo anno and was oriented mostly on Catholic electorate. HSLS refused political and economic liberalism but also class-struggle theory popular among socialists and communists who were (together with liberal atheists) considered to be main enemies. Constitutional part of its program was derived from the Pittsburg Agreement which promised an autonomous status of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia. HSLS opposed Prague centralism and ethnic Czechoslovakism (i. e. not considering Slovaks a separate ethnicity from the Czechs). In addition to its program, popularity of the party was supported by charismatic and temperament Hlinka's character.

In 1920, the party participated in the election together with the Czech People's Party under the name Czechoslovak People's Party. The party received 17.5% of the vote in Slovakia making it the 3rd largest party. As Hlinka put it when the Czechoslovak Social Democrats won the election: "I will work 24 hours a day until Slovakia turns from a red Slovakia into a white and Christian Slovakia ". Its main voters were Slovak farmers, mainly because the party criticized the Czechoslovak land reform of 1920–1929.

Since the county elections in 1923, the party became the biggest party in Slovakia, receiving 34.4% in the 1925. In 1923, the HSLS founded paramilitary organization Rodobrana to protect their meetings (similarly to other parties). Rodobrana was influenced and manipulated by Vojtech Tuka for his own anti-Czechoslovak intentions and later it was banned by Czechoslovak government. Rodobrana inspired by Italian fascism became a center of young dissatisfied radicals, the core of future fascist wing of HSLS. Leaders of HSLS tried to get Rodobrana under party control and succeeded when its activities were restored in 1926. Rodobrana raised several radicals like Alexander Mach or Ján Farkaš. On January 15, 1927, the HSLS became a member of the Czechoslovak government coalition thanks to Jozef Tiso who started negotiations during Hlinka's foreign travel, get his support and later strongly advocated this decision. The party held the Ministry of Health (Jozef Tiso) and Ministry of Unification of Laws and State Administration (Marek Gažík). After a controversial trial against the HSLS member Dr. Vojtech Tuka, who was accused of high treason, the HSLS left the government on October 8, 1929.

For the purpose of the general election of 1935 the HSLS joined with mainly the SNS, thus creating the "Autonomy Block", which ceased after the election. The Block received 30.12% in the 1935 general elections in the Slovak part of Czechoslovakia. Official ideology of Czechoslovakism, long term opposition, continuous attacks of government parties and ambiguous position of SNS in question of Slovak autonomy led in the HSLS to creation of myth about its exclusivity. The HSLS considered itself to be the only one political party which vigorously defended Slovak national interests. Inability to achieve autonomy decreased prestige of the moderate wing and strengthen radicals. After the death of the 74 years old Andrej Hlinka in August 1938, the presidium of the party decided that the chairman post will remain unoccupied. The party was led by vice-chairman Jozef Tiso until October 1938 when he became the new chairman. During Czechoslovak crisis between spring and fall of 1938, the HSLS remained on common Czechoslovak platform. The party officially supported both mobilizations and refused appeals of Sudeten German Party to radicalize its position.

Name changes

 * 1906–1925: Slovak People's Party (Slovenská ľudová strana, SĽS)
 * 1925–1945: Hlinka's Slovak People's Party (Hlinkova slovenská ľudová strana, HSĽS)
 * Since 1945: Slovak People's Party (Slovenská ľudová strana, SĽS)

Federal level

 * National Assembly (1920–1945)


 * Federal Assembly (since 1946)

National level

 * Slovak National Assembly (since 1946)