Slovenia Božo Repe
From Eastern Bloc to European Union,
10/2017, Letnik:
22
Book Chapter
Slovenia was one of the six former Yugoslav republics and the first to opt for independence as a result of the unbearable conditions in the state of Yugoslavia. The decision to become a completely ...independent state matured in the second half of the 1980s. The first multi-party elections since World War II were held in the spring of 1990, and the wish for independence was confirmed by a plebiscite that December. Among the reasons for deciding on an independent status were Yugoslavia’s inability to democratize itself, its failure to overcome the severe economic crisis caused by its economically and politically
Slovenes in the modern era have had to deal with two basic problems: the issue of democracy and the national issue (which political elites usually place in the foreground). The development of ...democracy was only partially determined by them, in so far as its primary characteristic was the introduction of mutual intolerance and the exclusion of those with different opinions. On the other hand, the position of the Slovene nation during individual state formation is usually evaluated „in retrospect“ from the standpoint of current political needs, while at the same time euphorically praising the newly formed situation. The transitional character of the country, its economic periphery, the influence of different cultures and a linguistic endangerment seem to be permanent features of its historical development.
The author describes the division of the Slovenian society in the 1930's concerning the Spanish Civil War. Slovenian history was marked by various ideological schisms – from Christianisation and ...anti-Reformation in the 16th century to the longest lasting ideological-religious schism of the 20th century, which had begun at the end of the 19th century, in the time when political parties had been formed. At that time the Catholic camp, under the influence of Dr. Anton Mahnič, wanted to organize the public life in the Slovenian provinces according to the principles of extreme Catholicism. The polarization continued during the interwar period, especially in the 1930's, where we should search for the roots of the wartime fratricidal conflict. Slovenians are still divided along these lines, and the schism surfaces at every possible occasion, for example during elections or celebrations. We are burdened by it to the point where it actually prevents us from becoming a modern nation or at least hinders the process of its formation. The assessment of the Spanish Civil War, even more than 70 years thereafter, still remains essentially controversial, just as it was back then. This holds true for the Slovenian as well as for the European (nowadays mostly conservative) society.
„Europa in Mauthausen“ stellt erstmals umfassend die Geschichte der Überlebenden eines nationalsozialistischen Konzentrationslagers dar. Diese beruht auf einer einmaligen Sammlung von über 850 ...lebensgeschichtlichen Interviews mit Überlebenden aus ganz Europa, Israel, Nord- und Südamerika. Der zweite Band „Deportiert nach Mauthausen“ geht der Frage nach, auf welche Weise Häftlinge aus zahlreichen europäischen Ländern in den KZ-Komplex Mauthausen gebracht wurden. Die Deportationen, die Transfers von Häftlingen innerhalb des gesamten NS-Lagersystems und die Todesmärsche führten zu einem ständigen Wandel in der Binnenwelt der Konzentrationslager. Trotz der Allpräsenz des gewaltsamen Todes weichen die Schicksale der KZ-Insassen daher beträchtlich voneinander ab. Die Pluralität der Erfahrungen der Überlebenden und die vielfältigen Analyseansätze der Autoren und Autorinnen dieses Bandes bilden die Grundlage für ein neues, vertieftes Verständnis der „Häftlingsgesellschaft".
The increasing radicalization of political life in most countries in Europe lends special relevance to studies of the antifascist legacies on the continent. This insightful collection of essays is an ...in-depth review of antifascism in Slovenia, setting it in the context of related movements elsewhere in Europe. The period treated by the 19 essays comprises the interwar period, World War Two, and the post-war decades. The comparative and transnational perspectives advanced by the volume change our understanding of antifascism. The essays deal with the right-wing but also left-wing instrumentalization of antifascism, with a particular focus on the communist and post-communist periods. The authors point out that antifascism comes in various strains, whether inspired by liberalism, social democracy, communism, monarchism, anarchism, or even Christian conservatism. The contributors bring to light several overlooked antifascist actors, campaigns, and organisations, mostly in Slovenia and the Adriatic area.
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