Ľudovít Štúr’s book Slavdom and the world of the future: A new perspective

The author examines Ľudovít Štúr’s controversial book Slavdom and the world of the future (1867) from a new perspective. He formulates two hypotheses regarding the intentions that led Štúr to write this work. According to the first hypothesis, Štúr’s book was about a pragmatic political calculation on how to secure the future of the Slavs, including the Slovaks, in the new political order of Europe after the revolutions of 1848–1849, namely under Russian domination. Within the second hypothesis, the author examines to what extent Štúr’s book can be read as a dystopia of the future of the Slavs under Russian domination. In conclusion, the author states that the second hypothesis seems more likely in the contemporary geopolitical context (Crimean War) in which Štúr’s book was written.