Slavs are a group of people descended from Indo-European roots who live in Central and Eastern Europe. They are divided into West, East and South Slavic based on language and geography. Slavs embraced Christianity early and are mostly Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Uniate. During World War II, many Slavs were forced to work as slaves by the Nazis, but the race fared better than the Jews. Famous Slavs include Yuri Gagarin, Leo Tolstoy, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mikołaj Kopernik, Gregor Mendel, Marie Curie and Nikola Tesla.
The Slavic people are a race descended from Indo-European roots who once shared a common language and area of ancestry. Today, most of these people – also called “Slavs” – live in Central and Eastern Europe. Slavic populations are particularly concentrated in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, the Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro.
Today, their linguistic roots and geographical locations are divided into West, East and South Slavic, further dividing the people. Those of a particular group tend to speak the language accorded to that area. Of course, with modern immigration, there are many people of Slavic origin living all over the world, so it becomes more difficult to specifically define a “Slavic” people, based on language.
These people are thought to have probably inhabited parts of Germany at some point, before migrating east, south and north in the 6th century. The first Slavic state was recognized in the 7th century and was ruled by Samos, which was actually not of Slavic origin. However, he supported the people in the fight against the oppression of Avar rulers. This state was located in Moravia, a region now within the borders of the Czech Republic.
Overall, the Slavic people were absorbed into the cultures that became more firmly established in the Middle Ages. They embraced Christianity very early, around the 6th century. Most of these people who still reside in Europe and who are Christians are either Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Uniate. Some Slavs, such as Pomaks in Bulgaria, are Muslims.
Many Slavs met their unfortunate demise in Poland during the Nazi occupation. Hitler hated Slavs and therefore forced many to work as slaves. Indeed, one of the most devastating evils to this group at the hands of Hitler was his systematic killing of thousands of the best intellectuals in Poland who were of Slavic origin.
However, because the Slavs had holdings in parts of Russia that were untouched by the Nazis, the race fared better than the Jews during World War II. The culture is still known for its beautiful and elaborate costumes and folk dances. Also, the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, is of Slavic origin. Other famous Slavs include author Leo Tolstoy, composer Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik, geneticist Gregor Mendel, scientist Marie Curie and inventor Nikola Tesla.
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