THE 1930S in SLOVENIA Sors

to considerable nationalist sentiments, con to pre-war levels of development and standard flicts with neighboring countries were a com ofliving before the new crisis began. THE 1930s monplace occurrence. All in all, the Kingdom of Global economic trends were uneven, and Yugoslavia was one such state. relationships between individual industries and IN SLOVENIA: The 1930s represent the other face of the international trade were particularly imbal period between the two world wars, in which anced. The same held true for states and regions, BETWEEN the economic crisis of 1929 essentially marks with a notable consistent disparity between ris the exact dividing point. The world of the in ing production potentials and limited spending OPENING UP terwar years was full of contradictions, torn possibilities. Periods of intensive development between poverty and wealth, between new stu and crises alternated with overproduction, in pidities leading to new catastrophes and great flation and stagnation. During interwar years TO EUROPE, achievements of human endeavor. It all began the world experienced three economic crises with counting the casualties of war: more than (1920- 1923, 1929-1933, and 1937-1938). Even NATIONAL 10 million victims on the battlefield, 20 million more frequent were agrarian crises, which were wounded, and another 10 million deaths due to never effectively resolved. One effect these cri SECURITY war, illness or famine. Material losses amount ses produced was a very fragile social context, ed to countless billions of dollars. in particular socio-political conditions, which The Great War and its aftermath led to consequently resulted in fierce competition for THREATS AND the dissolution of Europe's three great empires: colonies, markets, resources and global com the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which lost its munications. While some countries looked to IDEOLOGICAL ideal position in Central Europe; the Russian retain their established positions, others want Empire, which eventually became the Federa ed to change the balance of power, among them STRUGGLE tion of Soviet Socialist Republics; and the Otto most notably the fascist states and the USSR. In Bozo Repe man Empire, which comprised vast territories addition to the former liberal market economy, in Asia, North Africa and Europe. The rise of centralized planning and state control gained so-called global civilization began already dur in importance, particularly during great crises, The 1930s was a time of great ideologies that ing the war (with the USA entering the war, while socialist and fascist economic orders rose proved fatal to the entire 20'h century, led to thereby lending an international dimension to a considerable level of development. World War ll, the greatest watershed in the his to what had been a largely European war), as The peak of industrial development for tory of mankind, and now seem to be making did the ideological divide that reached its peak most countries came in 1929, only to be fol their mark yet again on our present day. Apart only after World War II. Increasingly, countries lowed by a sharp decline. In that same year from liberalism, which was unable to meet the from other continents began to play an impor the USA, the country where it all began, found challenges of the crisis it helped create and thus tant role. The Great War ended the supremacy itself in a state of tension caused by record lost its appeal, communism, too, became firmly of Europe that had been built patiently through production and record investments (63 billion established (at a price of several millions of vic the centuries of great explorations, colonial ex dollars), as well as a record amount of unsold tims), albeit in one country only. Fascism be pansion, missionary work, wars and trade. products that literally flooded and suffocated came far more widespread, beginning in Italy in Post-war peace conferences drew up new the market. This set off a chain reaction, with the early 1920s (with Slovenians falling victim state boundaries that were found to be unfair falling prices, declining production volumes, to its brutality even before it had officially come once again. Old antagonisms remained, and mass layoffs, and falling stock prices. The crisis to power) and developing its most totalitarian new ones appeared. Out of frustration with the spread all over the world and across all sectors, form in German Nazism in the 1930s. political, social and international order, ideas and continued to intensify over the better part Throughout the 1930s, but also earlier, for a different framework of relations between of the next four years. It proved most detrimen totalitarian and autocratic political systems nations and states (Wilson's Fourteen Points) tal to laborers and farmers. The whole world existed in numerous other countries as well. and for a different, fairer political and social was in a state of financial ex haustion and total While there were differences among them aris system came to be formed. The task of provid disorganization. ing from nationalism and local specificities, ing such a framework fell to the League of Na Between 1934 and 1937, the economy ex they also had some common features based on tions, an organization established in Geneva perienced a period of gradual recovery. Even extremely nationalist and chauvinist ideologies in April 1919. While the organization was able though the crisis reappeared for a brief period (demonstrating hostility towards other people to solve a few minor international problems, of time in the second half of the 1930s, fascist and nations), and were characterized by a great it failed to form an efficient mechanism with countries remained largely unaffected. Within deal of aggression and corporatist economic which to act against the aggressive policies of a year, the economic growth rate took an up systems (denial of the class struggle, organiza states laying claims to colonies or neighboring ward turn again. Countries used different ap tion of a society by corporate groups controlled territories. proaches to address the economic crisis of the by the state). They were, furthermore, char For millions, revolution was a way to build early 1930s, among them spontaneous eco acterized by anti-communist and racist posi a better social future for all. But even though nomic measures, protective tariffs, production tions. They opposed bourgeois liberalism and the chaos that ensued after the Great War in cuts, strict supply-side farming, social legisla individual rights, and advocated collectivism dicated that a pan-European or even a global tion (based on higher taxes), cheap loans, and instead. revolution might take place, it only succeeded large numbers of public works to address unem For the most part, such systems are con in a single country - Russia. There, it proved a ployment. Government investments in the mil sidered "intermediate" and combine character big disappointment: grown out of the revolu itary and arms industry increased dramatically. istics of the classical bourgeois order with ele tion, the socialist system surpassed the tsarist The most important characteristic of economic ments of totalitarianism and dictatorship. With regime in terms of violence against individu life in the two years preceding World War li was the exception of Czechoslovakia until1938, the als as well as against other nations. The Rus the redirecting of the economy towards arms majority of Eastern and Central European as sian revolution and its consequences were yet production. well as Balkan states, formed in the "Versailles another development to leave its mark on the Europe" in the wake of the disintegration of the period between the two wars. The horrors of great empires after the Great War, succumbed war left people with the deep desire to find Slovenians After World War 1: to this model. Most were largely agrarian, and some form of release, and the two short decades National Division, New State, New System, had just begun to embrace modern capitalism, of peace were characterized by an appetite for New Identity had no democratic political tradition to speak everything possible and impossible: survival, of, and the military played an important role fast money, recovery of lost property, knowl To what extent did the Slovenian society of the (the top levels of the military formed the core edge, pleasure, but above all entertainment. 1930s take part in these European and global of the ruling elite, along with the top levels of For the majority of the population, however, processes and how did it see them? With Vi the Catholic Church in clero-fascist countries). the positive effects of economic recovery and enna as the capital of Austria-Hungary and In these states frustration was expressed over the lifestyle of the roaring twenties remained thus the political and cultural center, the more "unfair" borders, revanchism and negative atti largely out of reach, and it took several years, an progressive Slovenians had followed modern tude towards minorities prevailed, and, owing entire decade even, for most countries to return trends and developments ever since the turn of 60 THE 1930s IN SLOVEN lA the 19'h century. The Slovenian conceptual and Slovenes supported in order to avoid appear was strongly linked to a particular worldview cultural identity evolved over decades along ing disloyal and the consequences this might (liberal or Catholic). Among the attempts to side the German one, but also contrary to it. bring) served to further escalate the Nazi pres cut through this issue was Josip Vidmar's 1932 The second half of the 19'h century was charac sure, the final goal being the total emigration booklet Kulturni problemi slovenstva (The Cul terized by mutual national struggles stretching and Germanization of Carinthian Slovenes, tural Problems of Slovenianism). In reality, the from cultural institutions in towns and villages a process the Nazis began implementing dur dilemma was spontaneously resolved through to huts high up in mountains.

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