World War II
See also: World War II in the Slovene LandsThe Slovene-settled territory was divided between the Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, Hungary and the Independent State of Croatia. They all exercised cultural assimilation and tried to annex the occupied territory to their parent lands. Resistance started in April 1941. Its cover organisation was the Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation. Its armed wing were the Slovene Partisans.
Due to the Communist violence towards the opponents of the Liberation Front as well as anti-revolutionary sentiments, some of the residents of cities as well as clericals and major farmers formed several anti-communist groups that collaborated with the occupying forces. After 1942, the situation in the Slovene Lands has been characterised as a civil war. After the war, large ideologically and ethnically motivated massacres took place.
Excluding Slovenes under Italian rule, between 20,000 and 25,000 thousand Slovenes were killed by Nazis or Italian Fascists, counting only civilian victims. The overall number of Slovene civilians killed by the Nazis, Italian Fascists and their allies is estimated at around 33,000 - this number does not include killed prisoners of war. The majority of these victims were from the German occupied territories Lower Styria, Upper Carniola, Zasavje, and Slovenian Carinthia, soon annexed to the Third Reich.
Read more about this topic: History Of Slovenia
Famous quotes containing the words world and/or war:
“Acknowledge your male characteristics. Celebrate them. Honor them. Turn them into a manhood that serves the world around you. But do not let them overwhelm you and do not let those who confuse maleness and manhood take your manhood from you. Most of all, do not fall prey to the false belief that mastery and domination are synonymous with manliness.”
—Kent Nerburn (20th century)
“We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war long before this; but God knows best, and has ruled otherwise.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)