Jozef Tiso: kňaz, politik, kolaborant

by James Mace Ward

James Mace Ward vo svojom diele podáva komplexný obraz Jozefa Tisa, jednej z najrozporuplnejších postáv európskych dejín 20. storočia. Zaoberá sa jeho rokmi štúdia za kňaza rímskokatolíckej cirkvi, vstupom na politickú dráhu, angažovanosťou na úrovni československej politiky až po funkciu hlavy Slovenského štátu. Ward sa nevyhýba ani najkontroverznejším kapitolám Tisovho života - predovšetkým jeho vojnovému spojenectvu s nacistickým Nemeckom a zodpovednosti za vyvlastnenie, deportácie a napokon aj vraždenie slovenských židov. Zachytáva Tisa ako človeka presvedčeného o poslaní katolicizmu, vášnivého nacionalistu a chladne uvažujúceho politika, odhodlaného chrániť svoju reputáciu aj manévrovací priestor. Publikácia je prvým hĺbkovým rozborom života tejto rozporuplnej osobnosti z inej ako slovenskej perspektívy. Na rozdiel od predchádzajúcich životopiscov J. M. Ward uprednostnil chronologický prístup, ktorý priniesol mnohé prekvapenia.

Genres: History, Biography, Politics, Nonfiction

424 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

James Mace Ward is Professor of Modern European History at the University of Rhode Island. He received his Ph.D. in history from Stanford University in 2008 and has held term appointments there, as well as at DePauw University and Queen's University of Belfast. As a teacher, he specializes in modern Eastern Europe and the Second World War but enjoys teaching a wide variety of topics, especially modern European surveys. He is an avid traveler and lived abroad for over a decade in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Thailand.

Ward's research interests include religion, nationalism, mass violence, collaboration and resistance, and expropriation.

Reviews

[Michal Sojka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dlho som sa chystal na nejaku knihu o Tisovi ale mal som problem si nejaku vybrat, lebo som mal pochybnosti o tom ako nezaujate to bude napisane. Na jednej strane z neho robia svatca a na druhej strane sfanatizovaneho klerofasistu. A cisto nahodou som v knihkupectve nasiel knihu, ktora ma zaujala obalom ale hlavne autorom. J.M. Ward je totiz American, ktory zil na Slovensku a naucil sa po slovensky. Jozef Tiso ho zaujal ako kontroverzna postava, ku ktorej este stale nemame na Slovensku vyhraneny postoj. Tym, ze autor nie je Slovak, a ani na Slovensku nevyrastal mu dava vyhodu pozerat sa na tematiku nezaujate. Zaroven je super, ze kniha je spracovana velmi kvalitne, co sa tyka zdrojov a citacii a velmi dobre sa cita. Autor zaujima k samotnemu Tisovi postoj len obcas, ked si vsima nejaku jeho povahovu vlastnost, ktora sa prejavuje pocas jeho zivota castejsie. Napriklad ako ta, ze ked mal urobit nejake dolezite rozhodnutie dost casto sa z politiky na par dni stiahol do uzadia a nechal to vyriesit radikalov Tuku alebo Macha. Z celej knihy som si vytvoril dojem, ze Tiso bol hlavne oportunista. Slovakom sa stal az vo chvili, ked bola potvrdena existencia ceskoslovenska (dovtedy by sa dal zaradit do kategorie madaron, pomadarceny Slovak), bol tvrdy antisemitista az do chvile ked si uvedomil, ze ho to bude brzdit v politickej kariere (a naopak vratil sa k antisemitizmu hned ako to bolo politicky vyhodne), atd. Nadruhej strane je pravda, ze na svojej kariere tvrdo pracoval a ze mal Slovensko (jeho katolicku cast) rad. Az do konca zivota bol presvedceny, ze konal spravne v duchu Za boha a za narod. Sice prvykrat v historii vytvoril na Slovensku cosi ako strednu triedu ale za cenu toho, ze donutil Zidov predat svoje majetky za 30-40% realnej ceny alebo im ho jednoducho zobral, vdaka Hitlerovi sa zlepsila aj infrastruktura na Slovensku ale ten na nej trval aby mal dobry vychodzi bod na utok na Rusko. Tiso chcel byt vodcom, martyrom a knazom celeho Slovenska. A ono sa mu to aj podarilo ale za cenu tisicov ludskych zivotou v koncentracnych taboroch, ci pri potlaceni SNP. Tiso ako katolicky knaz moralne zlyhal a nie raz a urcite vedome. Bol dost inteligentny na to aby vedel co robi, ale evidentne nie dost moralny na to aby to robil spravne. Perfektny vzor pre Kotlebovcov.

[Daniel Holúbek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veľmi dobre napísané. Autor zhromaždil veľké množstvo materiálu, ktoré dáva do historického a častokrát aj cirkevného kontextu. Nevyhne sa určitým zjednodušeniam (tomizmus či Nasledovanie Krista), no celkovo zväčša našiel zlatý stred - a čitateľ sa tak knihou prepracuje s pochopením problematiky a bez toho aby sa utopil v detailoch.
Vidno aj, že pri písaní mal od problematiky odstup: výsledkom je dielo, ktoré si napriek ťažkej téme nevlečie so sebou ideologickú predpojatosť. Plusom je aj autorova transparentnosť. Jasne vyjadruje interpretačný kľúč, s ktorým sa na jednotlivé udalosti a rozhodnutia pozerá, jasne vymenúva materiál, z ktorého pritom čerpal.
Odporúčam.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding treatment of a controversial character, the only Catholic priest outside the Vatican to head a modern European state. Although rightly infamous for his role in the Holocaust, Tiso's life is painted with a much broader brush in this excellent example of the professional historian's craft.

Ward handles Tiso in much the same way Joachim Fest handled Hitler; i.e., by placing him squarely into a European context, not as a merely Slovak phenomenon. Even more tellingly, Ward explores the different Catholic cross-currents characteristic of the times, and Tiso's relationship with them, without a shred of sectarian passion.

Ward's explorations of Tiso's dealings with the Vatican and the Slovak hierarchy are arguably among the most interesting parts of a very interesting book. Ward is clear about not having had access to all the Vatican archival material he would have liked. He has done a masterful job with what he had.

Ward's style is interesting. His detailed research in each chapter is supported well by footnotes, which make interesting reading themselves. At the end of each chapter is a summary, although Ward does not use that word. Finally, Ward surveys the verdicts put forward by other historians on Tiso, critiques them and proposes a thoughtful thesis of his own.

Highly recommended!

[michael flanary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priest, Politician, Collaborator is an excellent title for Josef Tiso's life

He was a devout conservative Catholic and a pretty successful politician. I picked up this book because I was curious how an ordained, Catholic Priest could collaborate with National Socialist ideology and justify the extermination of Slovakia's Jewish citizens. Ward, does a good job of describing the political turbulence around the birth of Czechoslovakia and the threat that Hungary posed to Slovakia's existence after Hitler destroyed the Czechs in 1938. Tiso was playing a political game with a decidedly lousy hand of cards. His theology of the primacy of first, loving yourself before loving your neighbor effectively demolishes the words of Jesus. I would really like to know if Tiso ever asked himself where the borders of compromise and collaboration lie and if he had ever crossed them. He seems to lack reflective, critical, self examination and that makes Josef Tiso a tragedy in World History. Compared to other Hitler sycophants in Croatia, Hungary and Norway, Tiso is only slightly less brutal, but on the other hand he should have known better.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a biography of Jozef Tiso, the priest who headed the fascist government of Slovakia under Nazi tutelage during World War II. The book looks at his early life, and puts him in context in the late Habsburg Empire. The book also contains significant background on the Slovak national project at this time, and Catholicism's role within it. The author then continues by looking at how Tiso functioned as a political leader in inter-war Czechoslovakia, and how his leadership changed with the coming of the Nazis and the breakup of the Czechoslovak state. The author then looks at how the post-war Communist government put Tiso on trial and executed him. He finished by looking at how Tiso's reputation has improved with the fall of Communism. The author tries to give an even-handed view of his subject, and tries to explain his many failings in terms of the times in which he lived. It is a fascinating story, and the first book that I've read that concerns itself mainly with the Slovaks. But, the author also includes significant historical details that could bog down the non-specialist.

[Ivo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pohľad do histórie podložený historickými dokumentmi.
Vyvážený pohľad na kontraverznú postavu slovenských dejín.
Pomerne jasne je možné odlíšiť odkazy na historické dokumenty a interpretáciu autora.
Nie je to kritika ani obhajoba, je to pohľad na vývoj osoby a osobnosti v historickom kontexte.
Určite odporúčam prečítať.

[Pavel Hornacek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but very sad reading. Writer did a fantastic job in collecting very valuable information. His approach I must consider fair and professional. Story of Dr. Tiso is very sad in terms of lost opportunity. Instead of leading, he decided to become an opportunist

[Nina Zimmermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tazko pisana kniha hlavne prva polka, inak vyborny prehlad o tisovom zivote

[Jakub Sluka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailní, zajímavé, psychologický profil Tisa.

[Shane Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine nuanced read on a controversial character!

[Montanus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dlho som ju čítal, dlho prežúval a dlho váhal, ako ju ohodnotiť. Nakoniec to vyšlo na full house, lebo, povedzme si úprimne, nič faktograficky lepšie si zrejme o Tisovi neprečítame. Nachystajte sa na fakty, fakty a fakty a ich striktnú interpretáciu. Nič na pohodové čítanie, alebo na zaspávanie pri knihe.