History of Slovenia
The first Slovenian state emerged circa 595 as Karantania, mainly on the territory of today's Austrian Carinthia and Slovenian Carinthia.
From as early as the 9th century, the lands inhabited by Slovenes had fallen under foreign rulers, including partial but cooperative control by Bavarian dukes and the Republic of Venice. With the exception of Napoleon's 4-year tutelage of parts of modern-day Slovenia and Croatia -- the "Illyrian provinces" -- the Slovenes, living in the provinces of Carinthia, Carniola, Styria, and Istria, lived under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty from the 14th century until 1918. While the elites of these regions were mostly Germanized, the peasantry strongly resisted Germanizing influences and retained their unique Slavic language and culture. After some flirtation with the Reformation in the 16th century, the region was re-Catholicized under the rule of Archduke Ferdinand of Inner Austria (r.1590-1637), who later became Emperor and pursued similar policies in the other Habsburg territories. In the 19th century, Slovene was codified by intellectuals into a literary language, and Slovene nationalist movements began to take hold, initially demanding Slovene autonomy within the framework of the Habsburg Monarchy.
In 1918, after World War I, the Slovenes joined with other southern Slav peoples in forming the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes under the King of Serbia. Renamed in 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia fell to the Axis powers during World War II, when much of Slovenia was annexed to the Third Reich.
Flag of the former Socialist Repubilic of Slovenia
Following partisan resistance to German, Hungarian, and Italian occupation and elimination of rival resistance groups, Josip Broz Tito established the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, of which Slovenia formed a constituent republic.
Slovenia continued to form Yugoslavia's most prosperous and advanced republic through the communist era, at the forefront of Yugoslavia's unique version of communism. Within a few years of Tito's death in 1980, Belgrade initiated plans to continue concentrating political and economic power in its hands. Defying the politicians in Belgrade, Slovenia embraced democracy and an opening of its society in the cultural, civic, and economic spheres to a degree almost unprecedented in the communist world. In September 1989, the General Assembly of the Yugoslav Republic of Slovenia adopted an amendment to its constitution asserting Slovenia's right to secede from Yugoslavia.
Coat of arms of the former Socialist Republic of Slovenia
On December 23, 1990, 88% of Slovenia's population voted for independence in a referendum, and on June 25, 1991, the Republic of Slovenia declared its independence. A nearly bloodless 10-day war with Yugoslavia followed; Yugoslav National Army forces withdrew after Slovenia demonstrated stiff resistance to Belgrade.
Historical ties to Western Europe made Slovenia a strong candidate for accession to the European Union and NATO. It became a member of the latter in March 2004, and will join the former on May 1, 2004.