The Slovene culture of Europe and the Middle East has thrived for nearly fifteen centuries despite being dominated for much of its history by outside political forces. During various periods of time from the sixth century until fairly recently the culture has been under the rule of the Bavarians, the Frankish Empire of the Carolingians, the German-dominated Holy Roman Empire, and other political regimes that controlled the lands of the Slovenian people. Resistance, rebellions, and military conflicts have marred the history of the Slovene culture, and not until recently did they the gain political independence they desired for centuries.
Around the turn of the sixth century, Slavs began settling in the area from Istria. They gradually converted to Christianity and slowly lost their independence. In the three centuries that followed, they remained under the rule of various political regimes. Then, beginning around the ninth century and lasting for roughly the next ten centuries, the Slovenes were under the Hapsburg monarchy rule until they began developing their own identity through a revolt and the development of a written Slovenian language.
Around this time in the sixteenth century, the Bible was translated into Slovene and the first book was written in their language. Despite these subtle indications of a culture seeking independence, it wasn't until 1848 that Slovene intellectuals issued the first political program for a United Slovenia. Shortly after, the first political groupings began to appear, which developed into political parties within a few decades. Although progress was evident in the Slovene’s goals of independence, they were still being ruled by the former Austrian monarchy. The situation began to change in 1918 when the liberation of all Slovenes from the territory the monarchy held was declared, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed (later becoming Yugoslavia).
This was an important step in the process of gaining independence for the Slovenes but the people desired an independent republic that would reflect the culture as a nation. After approximately seventy years of wars and an acquisition of Slovenia by Italy, Hungary, and Germany, the people of the Slovene culture officially declared the Republic of Slovenia’s independence in 1991. Shortly after they were officially recognized by the European Community, and became a permanent member of the United Nations.
The Slovene culture has existed for roughly fifteen centuries, so it is difficult to define what daily life is like for the people. As with any other culture that endures for a significant amount of time, they have changed with the times and adjusted to the political circumstances that they have been forced to deal with. Perhaps the best known feature of this culture is their enduring struggle for independence over the course of recent history. At our current juncture in time, the Slovenian foreign policy has been focused on improving links with Western Europe. Of all the former Yugoslav republics, it has the best prospects of achieving success in the global schematics of our culturally diverse world.
References:
“Slovene History in Brief.” http://www.matkurja.com/slo/country/history/index_500.html
“Slovenia Index”. http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/law/si__indx.html. 31 Oct 2000.
“Slovenia: History and Government”. http://www.amadeus.net/home/dest/en/Regions/Europe/Slovenia/Slo.htm
By Paul Munson