First Vienna Award

First Vienna Award

The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. It happened because of the Munich Agreement from the month before, which led to the partitioning of Czechoslovakia.

Hungary wanted to get back lands it had lost. After World War I, Hungary had been forced to give up many areas under the Treaty of Trianon. With support from Germany and Italy, Hungary tried to reclaim these territories peacefully.

The First Vienna Award took away parts of southern Slovakia and southern Carpathian Rus' from Czechoslovakia and gave them back to Hungary. These areas had many Hungarian people living there. Czechoslovakia also gave small pieces of land in Spiš and Orava to Poland.

Later, in March 1939, Adolf Hitler allowed Hungary to take the rest of Carpathian Rus', now called Carpatho-Ukraine. This moved Hungary's border north to meet Poland again.

After World War II, the 1947 Treaty of Paris said the Vienna Award was no longer valid.

Background

See also: Little Entente

From 1933, Hungary worked with Nazi Germany. They wanted to change borders set in the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. Hungary hoped to get back areas with many Hungarian people that it lost after World War I. In 1938, Germany and Hungary planned to change things in Central Europe.

After the Munich Agreement, Hungary still wanted more land from Czechoslovakia. They tried to pressure Czechoslovakia by causing small fights along their border. Because of this, Czechoslovakia agreed to talk about changing its borders with Hungary.

Pre-arbitration negotiations

Talks happened between October 9 and October 13, 1938, in Komárno, on the Slovak side of the Danube River near Hungary. The Czechoslovak team was led by Jozef Tiso and included Ferdinand Ďurčanský and General Rudolf Viest. The Hungarian team was led by Foreign Minister Kálmán Kánya and Education Minister Pál Teleki and had more experience.

Hungary wanted areas where Hungarians were at least half of the people, based on old information from 1910. They also wanted to vote in other areas to decide if they should join Hungary. Czechoslovakia did not agree, saying the old information was unfair. They suggested other ideas, like swapping people or making special zones. The talks did not reach an agreement, so both countries asked Germany and Italy to help decide the border.

Arbitration

The First Vienna Award was decided in Vienna by the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy. Leaders from Hungary and Czechoslovakia met to talk about the new border. The meeting happened at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna on November 2, 1938.

Both countries shared their ideas, but some leaders from parts of Czechoslovakia were not allowed to join the talks. After just a few hours, a new border was decided. The leaders were surprised by the outcome, and it took some convincing for everyone to agree to sign the document.

Results

Czechoslovakia had to give up some lands in southern Slovakia and southern Carpathian Ruthenia. This included towns like Senec, Galanta, Vráble, Levice, Lučenec, Rimavská Sobota, Jelšava, Rožnava, Košice, Michaľany, Veľké Kapušany, Uzhhorod, and Mukachevo.

After the award, Hungary took control of these areas. The Hungarian Army moved in, and the land was divided into new parts. Some people in Hungary celebrated, while others were not happy with the changes.

Impacts

The First Vienna Award changed the relationship between Slovakia and Hungary. It caused more tension and difficult feelings between the two countries. Hungary saw it as a win, but it also brought problems for the new areas it gained.

The award led to big changes in Central Europe. Hungary used the chance to claim more land, which helped create instability. This situation later involved larger powers like Germany. These changes made future conflicts more likely.

In the areas Hungary took over, life became harder for many people. New rules were introduced, and some groups found it difficult to live there. The economy also suffered, and many people lost their jobs. Overall, the First Vienna Award had deep effects on the lives of people in the region.

Main article: 1938 deportation of Jews from Slovakia

Nullification

The Vienna Award was later said to be invalid under international law, like the Munich Agreement. This was because the Czechoslovak government had agreed to the arbitration under pressure from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, as well as Hungarian demands.

In later years, several countries agreed that the award was not valid. Britain said it was no longer bound by the Munich Agreement. The Soviet Union also supported restoring Czechoslovakia’s borders to what they were before the Munich Agreement. Italy also declared the award invalid. This was finally confirmed in a peace treaty with Hungary in 1947, which set the border between the two countries back to its position before the Munich Agreement, with a small exception near Bratislava.

Main article: the peace treaty

Postwar persecutions

Main article: History of Czechoslovakia

After the Munich Agreement and the First Vienna Award, the rules for minorities in Czechoslovakia changed a lot. The Hungarian minority, who had good rights before the war, faced unfair treatment and lost some of their property. Many Hungarians had to leave Czechoslovakia.

Over time, Czechoslovakia and Hungary started to get along better. By 1949, they signed agreements to work together peacefully and return things that had been taken. These steps helped rebuild trust between the two countries after the hard years of conflict.