Currents of History 3/2018
Peter MIKŠA
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts,
Department of History, Ljubljana
peter.miksa@ff.uni-lj.si.
Yugoslavism Written in Memorials and Denominations in Ljubljana
Abstract: The purpose of the article is to present a (chronological) overview of denomination, renaming or abolishing streets and squares, setting up and tearing down monuments, naming and renaming primary schools, etc. of Yugoslav connotation in Ljubljana from 1918 onwards. This kind of establishing of collective memory in Slovenia is most evident in political fractures, such as: fracturing from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and entering the States of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, when it was necessary to redefine the collective memory and clean up the old. This is most evident in renaming streets and institutions or tearing down and putting up new monuments. Or furthermore, the more striking marking of space: the post-war regime in the time of the "second" Yugoslavia. The process was also present during the period of occupation of Slovenia between 1941 and 1945; and during the post-independence Slovenia after the year 1991.
Key words: Yugoslavism, Yugoslavia, monuments, Slovenia, Ljubljana
Summary
The idea of uniting the Yugoslav peoples in the commons state is one of the most important perspectives of the 20th century Slovenian history. The elements of Yugoslavism are still present in the Slovene collective memory, which is most evident in numerous memorials and denominations related to Yugoslavism, found in the Slovene public space. They can be traced from the 1920s onwards, while the majority is recorded around the middle of the century. The establishing of the collective awareness in Ljubljana is mostly visible in the political fractures – such as the break with the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and the entry into the State/Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, when it was necessary to redefine the collective memoria, and remove the old one. That is very noticeable in the changing of the names of streets and institutions, and in demolishing and erecting new monuments, and the even more obvious marking of space – the post-war order. The process was also distinct during the occupation of Slovenia, when the Italians invaded Ljubljana and the city went through alterations of its characteristics and image, as the occupier wanted to erase the historical memory of the common state with the southern nations. Other examples of this process are the post-war Yugoslavia and post-independence Slovenia. When comparing the processes happening during and after the years 1918, 1941, 1945, and 1991, we conjectured that the process of "marking" the space, both in setting up and tearing down the previous socio-political system was the most intensive in post-war Yugoslavia. We also assumed the process was less intense in the post-independence period than in the period after World War II, but individual cases tended to raise much more controversy both among the experts and the public. The debate on renaming streets and setting up or removing monuments is (was) in many cases a tool of political infighting and a means of polarizing the Slovenian public.