Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine

The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine was a political organisation in eastern Czechoslovakia. It was one of the forerunners of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

The organization held its founding congress in Ľubochňa on January 16, 1921. The founding congress had then been delayed for about two months, due to the December events.^[1]

The founding congress had 149 delegates, representing the different nationalities of Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine. Invited guests from the Czech Lands also participated in the proceedings. The congress endorsed the twenty-one conditions of the Communist International, with the exception of the 17th condition (which called on all sections of the International to adopt the name 'Communist Party'). The Ľubochňa congress was of the opinion that the name of the all-Czechoslovak party to be formed had to be decided at a national founding party congress of the new party.^[1]

The proceedings of the Ľubochňa congress was broken up by the Gendarmerie. Some of the delegates secretly met the following day, January 17, at Ružomberok. The meeting adopted a programme of action and approved four central press organs of the party; Pravda chudoby, Hlas ľudu, Kassai Munkás and Volksstimme. The Ružomberok meeting set up a Regional Action Committee, to be seated in Ružomberok. Under the Regional Action Committee, the Ružomberok meeting set up five District Executive Committees. One of the District Executive Committees, based in Užhorod, was in-charge of the party activities in the Transcarpathian Ukraine.^[1]

Leaders

The trade unionist Ivan Prechtl was a prominent labour leader of the party, and had participated in its founding.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the CPCz CC, Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the CPS CC. An Outline of the History of the CPCz. Prague: Orbis Press Agency, 1980. p. 99
2. ^ Lane, A. Thomas. Biographical Dictionary of European Labor Leaders 2. M – Z. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1995. p. 777