It should be emphasised that the situation in the Slovenian Littoral (Primorska) during World War II was different than in the other Slovenian provinces or the pre-war Drava Banate. Namely, Primorska was an internationally recognised territory of the Kingdom of Italy, and the authorities had never allowed any special non-Italian military formations to operate there. When the Italian state occupied the Slovenian territory at the end of World War I, it showed clearly that it intended to keep this territory permanently, thus it also started Italianising it systematically. The political groups in Primorska knew the situation in the so-called Ljubljana Province under the Italian occupation, where the confl ict between the partisan and the anti-communist side already started in 1942. Therefore they tried to do everything to prevent a similar war between brothers in Primorska. However, their outlook on the situation that arose, as well as the opinions of the individuals, were very dissimilar, especially with regard to how to face the partisans or the Liberation Front, which ultimately also brought communism to Primorska. The people of Primorska felt the activities of the partisans more indirectly, especially as revenge of the Italians for the actions carried out by the partisans. As far as the communist revolution in Primorska is concerned, we can state that the examples of direct revolutionary violence had been rare until the spring of 1943. Before the Italian capitulation the most resounding event in the wider region of Gorizia was the murder of Ivo Bric, a respected Christian and pre-war anti-fascist from Dornberk. On the orders of the partisan authorities, in the beginning of June 1943 two underage boys killed him while mowing grass. However, direct partisan violence strengthened in the middle of 1943 and especially after the Italian capitulation in the autumn of 1943. The communist agenda of the so-called national liberation struggle intensifi ed, and the so-called second stage of the revolution paved the way for the revolutionary takeover of power with the characteristics of the Soviet system, consequently leading towards the ever increasing revolutionary violence also in the (northern) Primorska, culminating in the autumn of 1943 and in the middle of 1944. As far as the research of the revolutionary violence in Slovenia and consequently also in Primorska is concerned, we should underline that during World War II the following processes took place simultaneously in Slovenia: occupation, resistance against the occupiers, collaboration, revolution, and anti-revolution. Individual concrete manifestations of violence could involve several of these aspects at the same time, therefore it is often very diffi cult to analyse and establish the precise characteristics of violence. In cases of revolutionary violence in Primorska, for example arrests and murders of ideological opponents, the perpetrators were numerous and diverse: individual partisan units, field units, members of the Security Intelligence Service, members of the National Security Army, or simply individuals who took it upon themselves to act in the name of the partisan movement. We should also distinguish between executions without the sentences of the partisan military courts, where murder was most often involved, and justifi cations or executions on the basis of the sentences of partisan military courts, which became operational in the middle of 1943.
COBISS.SI-ID: 36806445
After the "anti-Fascist assembly", the first politically motivated trial, which was extremely important for the development of penal law and justice in the emerging Communist Yugoslavia, took place between 9 and 11 October 1943. It served as a model for similar post-war politically motivated staged trials. It was intended to show both the foreign and the domestic public how democratic the "people's rule" was, while at the same time it was meant to divert attention from the horrifying actions behind the scenes, where hundreds of ideological opponents were being executed. The prisoners, tried at the Kočevje trial, were carefully selected. They were charged with treason of the nation, organising the "White" and the "Blue Guard" and the responsibility for murders. The Communists simply assumed that any non-Communist or even anti-Communist unit was a treason organisation. The trial concluded with sixteen death sentences and four sentences of hard labour. The proceedings against one of the accused were suspended.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38086445
In the article, the author presents the violent activities of the Communist-revolutionary side during World War II in the territory of central Slovenia. The southern part of the area (the Dolenjska region, a part of Notranjska, Bela krajina, Ljubljana) was during the war first a part of the Italian occupying territory, while the northern part (the Gorenjska region) was part of the German one throughout the war. The article focuses on presenting the comparison of the timeline and development of the manifest forms of the revolutionary violence between the area of the Italian and German occupation, which were the most badly affected by the revolutionary violence and the subsequent civil war.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38085933
After the end of World War II, the authorities governed and managed the development of agriculture and the position of farmers with numerous administrative measures, which led to dissatisfaction and riots among the farmers. This resulted in numerous judicial processes against farmers, which started in the autumn of 1945. The majority of farmers was found guilty by the courts on the basis of the Act on Suppression of Prohibited Trade and Economic Sabotage, namely due to their failure to carry out mandatory delivery (purchase) of surplus produce and livestock and compulsory supply, because of illegal slaughtering of farm animals, speculative purchase and selling of goods for mass consumption. The farmers were also on trial for neglecting the farming of arable land, renovating inventory and livestock farming, for concealment of arable land and crops and for tax evasion. They were also found guilty of crimes against agricultural cooperatives and cooperative assets and of (allegedly) being members and supporters of illegal groups.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38085421
After the change of power or its attempt and the subjection of the society to the new world order, the law, particularly criminal law, was the first to be changed. By its very nature, a new world order wants to distance or detach itself completely from the former one, as the revolution implies a complete change or turnaround. While the aim of the national liberation fight (NOB) was armed combat against the occupier and the revolution (in the form of the assumption of power) or the revolution being a side effect of the armed fight against the occupier, as some claim, the revolutionary authority adopted numerous legal acts especially in the field of criminal law as early as mid-war with the intent of carrying out the revolution and protecting the achievements of the NOB. This raises the question of legality and legitimacy of the revolutionary bodies, the revolutionary law, or the revolution itself. From the point of view of the valid legal order, any revolution is illegal, as it violates that same legal order, which means that the revolutionary bodies and the revolutionary law they adopt are also illegal. However, a revolution can be legitimate (factually justified), provided that it pursues the principle of justice and is in accordance with general, current civilisation norms.
COBISS.SI-ID: 38085677