CSEMADOK was formed on 5 March 1949 in Bratislava as a part of the Czechoslovak National Front, an umbrella statewide organization. The name is an abbreviation for Csehszlovákiai Magyar Dolgozók Kultúregyesülete (in Slovak: Kultúrny zväz maďarských pracujúcich v Československu, English: Czechoslovak Hungarian Workers' Cultural Association). It was one of the few ethnic-based organizations in Czechoslovakia. The organization was reported to have 43 000 members in 1953 and almost 50 000 in 1955. The society organized cultural events, lectures, and supported theater-, song- and dance groups. Since 1951 it published a monthly "Fáklya" (The Torch), then, since December 1956, a weekly "A Hét" (The Week).