Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk was unusual among Czech politicians for his deep interest in the Slovaks of northern Hungary and for his persistent striving to assist them in their struggle for national rights. Most other Czech political leaders felt constrained by the Dualist System not to interfere in the affairs of the Hungarian Kingdom and bent their efforts almost exclusively to the attainment of Bohemian state right for the Czechs in Austria. Masaryk, however, was a bitter critic of the Dualist system and of the oppressive policies of the ruling Magyars with regard to their national minorities, especially the Slovaks. He also severely criticized the attitudes of the dominant Slovak Nationalist movement, and inspired the development of a new Slovak tactics for attaining national rights. He exerted a great influence on younger Slovaks, both those who were studying in Prague, and those at home in Slovakia. As on so many other issues, however, Masaryk was a somewhat isolated figure, supported by a relatively small fraction of Slovak nationalists and bitterly attacked by the Slovak leaders of the old school. Although a number of other Bohemian Czechs were concerned about the fate of the Slovaks, they were interested mainly in giving them a helping hand in literary and cultural fields and did not usually share Masaryk's more political approach¹.