Italian occupation and the emergence of the Slovenian resistance movement in 1941

Abstract

The article highlights the political situation in the Slovenian lands occupied by Italy during the Second World War, in the summer of 1941 – the first half of 1942. The focus of the study is the Slovenian resistance movement organized by the communists, whose center was first in Ljubljana, and then in the forests of Kočevje and other remote places. The author analyzes the features of its development in the province of Ljubljana: the creation of the Liberation Front, which managed to attract representatives of various ideological and political trends, the beginning of an armed uprising and partisan movement, the emergence of a liberated territory with the center in Kočevje. The positions and activities of representatives of the national forces that sided with the occupier are also considered: the Slovenian People’s Party (SNP), the Bishop of Ljubljana G. Rozhman, the leader of the ultra-right Catholic movement L. Erlich, etc. The policy of the Italian occupation authorities in the province of Ljubljana, repressive measures carried out by them in order to eliminate the Slovenian resistance movement are covered in detail