Summary:

So far ethnography has followed mainly natural, historical, regional, ethnic, economic, social and technological aspects of the development of agriculture in Slovakia. Researchers' interest in the immediate political causes of this process has remained marginal, often for obvious reasons. However, the influence of the political decisions on the development of agriculture and therefore on people engaging in primary agricultural production becomes more intensive with the development of civilisation. The state (its power and political elite) tends to unify social space and to control the functioning of its areas. This tendency culminated in Slovakia during the second half of 20th century in time of collectivization and decollectivization of agriculture.
The culture of Slovak villages during the first half of 20th century had been contiguous. The basic social space consisted of patriarchal peasant family and of the village community. Life strategy of individuals and peasant families, their values and the level of agriculture had been developing on the basis of cultural patterns of pre-industrial society. During the second half of 20th century there were two considerable discontinuities: first, collectivization of agriculture in 50s, and second, decollectivization in 90s. Both were politically controlled processes, and therefore their effect had been essential for the way of life and life strategies of people engaging in agricultural production.
The author tries to understand these processes and their social and cultural context and to delineate possible development of agriculture as well as of people engaging in it.