After World War II the Slovenian territory became a federal unit (republic) with elements of statehood and sovereignty within the federal system of the Yugoslav state. This nevertheless had limited importance with regard to the Federal Constitution of 1946, since the constitutional order assigned the most important legislative, executive and administrative powers to the federal bodies. The jurisdiction of the republics started increasing with the political and constitutional changes in the 1950s and 1960s. However, the centralist aspirations in the economic policy and political decision-making remained strong, even strengthening in the 1970s. This research will analyse the Slovenian situation during the individual constitutional periods as well as the policies of the republican and federal bodies and the Communist Party/League of Communists. We will also attempt to establish how the federal economic policy and certain economic, cultural and social circumstances in the state influenced the Slovenian economic and social development. We will pay special attention to the Slovenian politicians’ influence on the federal policy and the decisions of the federal political leadership in Belgrade, as Slovenian politicians held important functions in the federal bodies.
Thus the research will shed light on the role of E. Kardelj, B. Kidrič, B. Kraigher and other Slovenian politicians in the federal bodies, their influence on the political, economic and social modernisation and their political practices. It will also include a detailed presentation of Slovenian economic development, economic cooperation with other republics, endeavours of Slovenian politicians to introduce market relations in the state and tendencies for the Slovenian economic separation in the second half of the 1980s. Issues related to the functioning of the state administration, judiciary, security bodies and military defence system will represent a specific research subject, and we will also focus on the attitude of Slovenian politicians and public towards the national question. Namely, if until World War II certain individuals had still been considering the potential national fusion with other Yugoslav nations, World War II finally put an end to the Slovenian flirtation with Yugoslav integralism. The national-liberation orientation of the Liberation Front and anti-occupation resistance undeniably played an important role with regard to this issue. The socialist ideologists attempted to combine the inherited conception of a small nation, lacking any real historical tradition, with Marxist and socialist ideas, claiming that national emancipation was supposedly only possible in a society ruled by the working class. The Slovenian political elites were characterised by their constant search for balance between what was national (Slovenian) and what was common (Yugoslav). The school and cultural policy also caused severe disputes between the republican and federal authorities. According to the Constitution, these were under the jurisdiction of individual republics, but Belgrade kept trying to control them centrally (the 1950s school reform, vocationally-oriented education, common core curricula).
The research will also look at the living standard in Slovenia in the individual post-war periods, as all this time, especially during the 1960s and 1970s, Slovenia deviated from the Yugoslav average. We will also bring the attention to the demographic development, which was different than in the rest of Yugoslavia (decreasing birth rate and increasing immigration rate). A special part of the research will be dedicated to sports, sports activities and the achievements of the Slovenian athletes. Finally we will also explore the public opinion and look at how the attitude towards Yugoslavia was changing in the eye of the public.
The goal of the project is to carry out a complex and unprecedented research of the various aspects of the Slovenian life within the socialist Yugoslavia.
