14 March - Slovakia declared independence

 

Slovakia declared independence on 14 March 1939. This event occurred in the context of the disintegration of Czechoslovakia during the late 1930s, a process largely influenced by the Munich Agreement of 1938. The Munich Agreement allowed Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland, a German-speaking border region of Czechoslovakia.

In the aftermath of the Munich Agreement, Slovakia sought increased autonomy within the remaining Czech lands. This desire for autonomy eventually led to the declaration of independence on March 14, 1939, under the leadership of Jozef Tiso. The declaration of independence was not a completely voluntary act, as it took place with considerable pressure from Nazi Germany, which supported the establishment of a nominally independent Slovakia as a satellite state.

Following the declaration of independence, Slovakia became a puppet state under German influence, with Jozef Tiso as its president. The move facilitated Hitler's goal of weakening Czechoslovakia and expanding German influence in Eastern Europe.

It's important to note that Slovakia's independence in 1939 was a complex historical event influenced by various geopolitical factors, and it played a role in the larger context of World War II and the disintegration of Czechoslovakia.