Masaryk described Hlinka as a fool who had made a mistake in his dealings with the Hungarians, though he added that he should be forgiven. “Hlinka may have been critical of Czechoslovak politics, but he nevertheless accepted and respected Masaryk’s personality and position,” he says. Hlinka was among the most prominent and influential politicians in Slovakia during the First Czechoslovak Republic, in which Masaryk served as president until 1935. Hlinka was critical of the democratic system of the First Republic and of what he claimed was its attitude towards Slovaks. It should also be said that although Hlinka was critical of Czechoslovak politics, he accepted and respected Masaryk’s personality and position.