Inside the parties, but also outside of them, different views on the future of Slovenians and Habsburgh monarchy, at that time, were formed. Prevailed had the belief that it is vital to make a political conversion of Austria-Hungary.
Slovenian folks party defended trialism, therefore division of monarchy on three units: Austria, Hungary and Yugoslav unit. This Yugoslav unit would include Slovenian lands, Croatia with Dalmatia and Istria, Slavonia and Bosnia and Hercegovina. Germans and Hungarians rejected the idea, but crown prince Franc Ferdinand was in favour of this idea.
Radical ideas demanded final fracture with Habsburgs and supported the establishment of independent Yugoslav state. It would unite all Yugoslav nations, also Serbs and Montenegrins, who already had their own state. Rebirthers or members of revolutionary society Rebirth were mostly heatedly supporters of these ideas. The society was active among Slovenian high schoolers and students.
On 12th May 1913 Slovenian writer Ivan Cankar held a noted lecture, in City hall in Ljubljana, titled Slovenians and Yugoslavs. Ivan Cankar had been sentenced by then authorities to a week in prison due to the content of his lecture and supposed affection to political connection of Yugoslav nations. Cankar supported the idea of Yugoslav state and on the lecture rejected the views for demands leading to language and cultural unification. He also said that we are all brothers by blood, and at least cousins by language, regarding culture however, which is the fruit of several centuries’ worth of separatism in education, we are much more foreign. He was an advocate for establishment of federal Yugoslav Republic, which would consist of Slovenians, Croatians, Serbs and Bulgarians. Members would be equal.
Among peasant masses the Yugoslav idea did not spread, it also was not supported by part of the clergy because of the fear of the consequences of replacement of the catholic ruler with an Orthodox one, from Serbian dynasty Karađorđevič.
  See other historical events! |