# Vojtech Tuka

> Slovak minister of foreign affairs of the Slovakia, prime minister of the Slovakia and war criminal (1880-1946)

**Wikidata**: [Q367181](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q367181)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vojtech_Tuka)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vojtech-tuka

## Summary
Vojtech Tuka was a Slovak politician, jurist, and university teacher who served as both the minister of foreign affairs and the prime minister of the Slovak Republic. Born in 1880 and dying in 1946, he is also recorded as a convicted war criminal. His political career was tied to the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), a client state of Nazi Germany.

## Biography
- **Born:** July 4, 1880
- **Died:** August 20, 1946
- **Nationality/Citizenship:** Czechoslovakia; Slovak Republic (1939–1945)
- **Education:** Erzsébet University (a research university in Bratislava, founded in 1912 in the Kingdom of Hungary)
- **Known for:** Serving as prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Slovak Republic; convicted as a war criminal
- **Occupation(s):** Politician, university teacher, jurist
- **Employer(s):** Comenius University (public university in Bratislava, Slovakia); Eötvös Loránd University (public research university in Budapest, Hungary)
- **Field(s) of work:** Politics (activities associated with group decisions and governance)

## Contributions
Vojtech Tuka held high-ranking governmental positions in the Slovak Republic, a 1939–1945 client state of Nazi Germany. He served as the Slovak minister of foreign affairs and as the prime minister of Slovakia. His political activities were associated with the governance and policy-making of the Slovak Republic. In addition to his political roles, Tuka contributed to higher education as a university teacher and worked as a jurist, a professional who studies, teaches, and develops law.

## FAQs
### What positions did Vojtech Tuka hold in the Slovak government?
Vojtech Tuka served as the minister of foreign affairs and as the prime minister of the Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany that existed from 1939 to 1945.

### Where was Vojtech Tuka educated?
He was educated at Erzsébet University, a research university originally located in Bratislava that was founded in 1912 in the Kingdom of Hungary.

### What was Vojtech Tuka’s professional background outside of politics?
Beyond being a politician, Tuka was a jurist (a legal scholar or academic) and a university teacher. He was affiliated with Comenius University in Bratislava and Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest.

### How did Vojtech Tuka’s life end?
Vojtech Tuka died on August 20, 1946. He is described in historical records as a war criminal.

## Why They Matter
Vojtech Tuka is a significant figure in the history of Slovakia and Central Europe due to his prominent leadership roles in the Slovak Republic, which was a client state of Nazi Germany during World War II. As prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Tuka was a key political leader in a regime closely allied with Nazi Germany. His legacy is primarily defined by his conviction as a war criminal, underscoring the consequences of the political decisions made during that era. Tuka's actions and the governance of the Slovak Republic remain a critical subject of historical study concerning collaboration and state-sponsored crimes during World War II.

## Notable For
- Serving as the prime minister of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945)
- Serving as the minister of foreign affairs of the Slovak Republic
- Being a convicted war criminal
- Working as a university teacher at Comenius University and Eötvös Loránd University
- Career as a jurist and legal scholar
- Education at Erzsébet University (Magyar Királyi Erzsébet Tudományegyetem)
- Holding citizenship in both Czechoslovakia and the Slovak Republic (1939–1945)

## Body

### Early Life and Education
Vojtech Tuka was born on July 4, 1880. He received his education at Erzsébet University, a research university located in Bratislava. The institution was founded in 1912 in the Kingdom of Hungary and carried the official name Magyar Királyi Erzsébet Tudományegyetem during the period of 1913–1947. It was named after Empress Elisabeth of Austria and operated in Bratislava from 1912 to 1919 before later relocating to Pécs from 1923 to 1948. The university was eventually dissolved in 1947 and replaced by the University of Pécs and the Medical University of Pécs.

### Professional Roles
Vojtech Tuka was a multi-disciplinary professional recognized for his roles as a politician, a jurist, and a university teacher. He was employed by or affiliated with Comenius University, a public university in Bratislava, Slovakia (founded in 1919), and Eötvös Loránd University, a public research university in Budapest, Hungary (founded in 1635). His primary field of work was politics, which encompasses activities associated with group decisions, governance, policy-making, and the exercise of power within organized groups.

### Political Career
Tuka held citizenship in both Czechoslovakia—a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from 1918 to 1992—and the Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany that existed from 1939 to 1945. The Slovak Republic was established on March 14, 1939, during the period when Czechoslovakia was profoundly impacted by the events of World War II. Vojtech Tuka rose to the highest levels of government in the Slovak Republic, serving as the minister of foreign affairs and later as the prime minister. His political activities occurred within the broader context of Central European politics during a tumultuous period marked by the formation of Czechoslovakia after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the subsequent influence of Nazi Germany in the region.

### Historical Context
Czechoslovakia was formed on October 28, 1918, following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the end of World War I. It functioned as a unitary parliamentary republic with Prague as its capital. The country played a significant role in the cultural and political landscape of Europe, known for its contributions to literature, music, science, and industry, including the automotive brand Škoda. Czechoslovakia was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1939 and later by the Soviet Union in 1945. After the war, it became a communist state, a member of the Warsaw Pact and COMECON, and eventually underwent the Velvet Revolution in 1989, leading to its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.

### Legacy
Vojtech Tuka died on August 20, 1946. He is historically recorded as a war criminal, a designation that defines his legacy. His tenure as a high-ranking official in the Slovak Republic and his subsequent conviction mark him as a prominent and controversial figure in the history of Slovakia and Central Europe during World War II.

## References

1. Czech National Authority Database
2. University of Pécs Almanac
3. The Fine Art Archive
4. International Standard Name Identifier
5. Virtual International Authority File
6. Find a Grave
7. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
8. BnF authorities
9. Munzinger Personen
10. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
11. [Source](http://purl.org/pressemappe20/beaconlist/pe)
12. Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands