Original scientific paper
The Habsburg Monarchy and the Yugoslav Question in the Light of Slovene Historiography
Stanislav KOCUTAR
; RTV Slovenija, Regionalni center Maribor, Radio Maribor
Abstract
The position of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Yugoslav question in
Slovene historiography has been changing within time. It can be divided
into several periods. The first period started directly after the political
changes in 1918. It strongly depended on the contemporary history and
memories. Under this influence the Habsburg Monarchy was stereotypically
referred to as “prison of nations” and “Dante’s hell”, that is to say an unfree
and oppressive state union. This standpoint was, in its sharper form, more
typical for politically motivated publicists then for historians. The
historiography was influenced by politics which, in the period from 1918 to
1941, dictated “serbocentric” view on the problem of the Habsburg
Monarchy within which everything was subordinated to the “liberation of
suffering brothers Croats and Slovenes”. Glorification of military and
dynastic efforts on one side and prevalent Slovene attitudes (to renounce
Slovene language, to take over foreign habits, to melt into united Yugoslav
nation...) left traces. Nevertheless it became evident that apart from of the
Yugoslav idea there were others which, until the decline of communism,
persistently followed the Slovene national programme dating back to 1848.
In the period after the World War II, different elements were introduced
into historiography. On one side the role of working class was stressed,
and on the other side the role of Catholic Church and bourgeois class
parties was belittled, although the latter were acknowledged some merits
for realization of the South Slavic state union. With the time distance,
democratization of society in the 1990’s and unimpeded access to
appropriate (also in the means of quantity) sources the conditions were set
for historical synthesis unburdened by non-historical heritage.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
66339
URI
Publication date:
10.12.2009.
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