From the 11th until the early 20th century, present-day Slovakia was under Hungarian rule, either directly or as a part of the Habsburg Empire. Intellectuals seeking to revive the Slovak language and culture began the Slovak national revival in the 19th century. The formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 following World War I satisfied the common aspirations of Czechs and Slovaks for freedom from the Habsburg Empire.

In the September 2002 parliamentary election, a last minute surge in support for Prime Minister Dzurinda's Slovak Democratic and Christian Union gave him a mandate for a second term. He formed a government with three other center-right parties: the Hungarian Coalition Party,christian Democrats and Alliance of New Citizens. Following a summer 2003 parliamentary shake-up, the government lost its narrow parliamentary majority and now has exactly half of the 150 seats; the coalition is comparatively stable because of the parties' similar political philosophies. The government strongly supports Slovakia's May 2004 NATO and EU accession and will continue the democratic and free market-oriented reforms begun by the first Dzurinda government. The main priorities of the new coalition are smooth NATO and EU accession, fighting corruption, attracting foreign investment, and reforming social services such as the health care system. Vladimir Meciar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, which received about 27% of the vote in 1998 eceived only 19.5% in 2002 and again went into opposition, unable to find coalition partners. The HZDS is joined in opposition by Smer, the party of young populist politician Robert Fico, and by the communists, who obtained about 6% of the popular vote.