By: Dr Metod Berlec
The Republic of Slovenia is marking 35 years of independent statehood – a milestone that reminds us that the path to our own country was long, demanding, and repeatedly interrupted. It began with the political programme of United Slovenia in 1848, when the Slovenian nation for the first time clearly and decisively demanded the introduction of the Slovene language in public life, an administrative‑political reorganisation of the Habsburg monarchy along national lines (that is, the unification of all Slovenians, divided among various crown lands, into one large province), and a single “Slovenian assembly” that would largely decide its own fate, though still under the Habsburg sceptre and Vienna.
In the decades that followed, the Slovenian nation matured politically: from national awakening and the development of cultural institutions to gradually entering the parliamentary sphere of Austria‑Hungary. This process reached an important point in the autumn of 1918, when the first Slovenian national government was established within the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. Although its independence was short‑lived, it served as historical proof that Slovenians were capable of forming their own state institutions. After the Second World War, in May 1945, power was taken over by the communist revolutionary authorities, making Slovenia part of socialist Yugoslavia. Despite the formal federal structure, the political, economic, and security system was subordinated to Belgrade and the Communist Party under Josip Broz Tito, which severely limited Slovenian autonomy. A true turning point came only in the second half of the 1980s, when the Slovenian political spring began. One of the key moments of that period was the May Declaration of 1989, which clearly stated its main goal: Slovenia must become an independent and sovereign state. This programme was fully adopted by the Democratic Opposition of Slovenia (DEMOS), which then won the first democratic elections in the spring of 1990. DEMOS, led by Dr Jože Pučnik, shaped the independence policy, which was carried out by the first democratic government under Lojze Peterle. That government prepared all the essential legal, political, and security‑defence foundations for the proclamation of Slovenian statehood. On 25 June 1991, Slovenia declared its independence and sovereignty. A military attack by the federal army followed, to which the Slovenian armed forces, under the leadership of Igor Bavčar and Janez Janša, responded decisively and effectively. The war ended with the defeat of the Yugoslav People’s Army, and in October 1991 the last foreign soldier left Slovenia. Intense diplomatic efforts for international recognition followed, reaching their peak in May 1992 with Slovenia’s admission to the United Nations.
On the 35th anniversary, we can say with justified satisfaction that Slovenian statehood is the fruit of a century‑long political maturation and the courage of the “great generation of 1987–1991”, which knew how to transform a historic “window of opportunity” into an act of state‑building decision – the greatest achievement in all of Slovenian history. After years of left‑wing experimentation, the Slovenian nation once again has the opportunity to take a path leading toward stability, development, and a confident future. At the head of this path stands a man who played one of the most important roles in the crucial moments of Slovenia’s independence and the defence of its sovereignty – and for that reason, the future can once again be understood as an opportunity, not a risk.
