416 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
and the Austrian Habsburg family,
who established control over most of
Slovenia by the 15th century. Around
the same time, the Ottoman Turks
mounted attacks deep into Central
Europe, turning Slovenia into the
front line in the region’s defence.
Throughout the Habsburg period,
the predominant language was
German, with Slovene spoken only
among the peasantry. However, a brief
period of French rule (1809–1813)
introduced Slovene-language school-
ing and a new generation of educated
Slovenes rose to promote nationalculture. Following the collapse of the
Habsburg Empire in 1918, Slovenia
entered the newly created kingdom
of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later
renamed Yugoslavia. This multi-
ethnic state was invaded by Hitler in
April 1941 and Slovenia was divided
between Nazi Germany and Fascist
Italy. After World War II, Slovenia
became a fed eral republic within a
reconstituted, Communist-ruled
Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav Federation
functioned successfully under the
leadership of President Tito. With the
death of Tito and the onset of
economic problems however, the
union began to disintegrate.
Slovenia declared independence
from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991.
The Ten Day War (27 June–6 July)
with Yugoslavia followed, in which
the Yugoslav People’s Army was
outmanoeuvred by Slovenia’s defence
forces. Slovenia went on to establish
itself as one of the economic and
political successes of the new
Europe, joining NATO and the
European Union in 2004.LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Modern Slovene belongs to the Slavic
family of languages and is closely
related to Croatian and Serbian.
Centuries of Austrian rule has left a
profound imprint on the language
and many colloquial expressions are
of German origin. The Austrian
influence also extended to archi-
tecture, with Alpine farm houses and
onion-domed churches scattered
across parts of the country. Slovenia
was predominantly a peasant country
until the early 20th century and folk
music and village festivals are still an
integral part of national life. During
the 1970s and 80s, Slovenia emerged
as a centre of contemporary art and
popular music and Slovenian culture
retains a modern outlook.Guards carrying Tito’s coffin at his funeral in 1980KEY DATES IN SLOVENIAN HISTORYAD 591 Slavs arrive in the upper Drava region
1282 The Habsburg Dynasty establishes its first
feudal holdings in Slovene lands
1573 Peasant Uprising ends with the defeat of
the rebels and bloody retribution by the nobility
1813 A brief period of Napoleonic rule is
followed by a return to Habsburg control
1918 Slovenia joins other south Slav peoples
to form the kingdom of Serbs, Croats
and Slovenes
1921 Vidovdan Constitution establishes a
constitutional monarchy; Belgrade is the capital
1938 Josip Broz Tito appointed leader of the
Communist Party of Yugoslavia
1941 Slovenia divided between Fascist Italy,
Nazi Germany and Miklós Horthy’s Hungary
1974 The 1974 Constitution gives each republic
greater responsibility for its internal affairs
1980 Yugoslavia enters a period of crisis
following the death of Tito
1991 Slovenia declares independence
from Yugoslavia
2004 Slovenia joins NATO
2007 Euro introduced in Slovenia