Institute of History
Topic
German Protected Zone in Slovakia 1939–1945: The example of the district(s)...
PhD. program
Slovak History
Year of admission
2025
Name of the supervisor
PhDr. Michal Schvarc, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava
Annotation
The question of the German buffer zone in Slovakia in 1939-1945 is still one of the challenges of historical research on the history of Slovakia during the Second World War. The negotiations on the territorial extent of the zone and the powers of the German Wehrmacht within it are relatively well known. However, an analysis of how the agreements concerning the zone were implemented in everyday practice is largely missing. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the interaction between the German army units stationed in the zone, the local Slovak authorities, and the relationship between the soldiers and the local population, using the example of one or more (max. three) districts located in the so-called Schutzone, from the establishment of the zone until its demise at the end of the winter of 1945, and to place it in the context of the National Socialist occupation policy. The candidate should demonstrate the ability to combine approaches from military history and research on the political and organizational history of National Socialism with approaches from microhistory that examine the processes and actions of actors directly at the designated site. German language skills (at least B2) are required.