Anti-German Protests in Ljubljana in September 1908 — an Episode of the Slovenes’ Struggle for National Freedom

Abstract

This article examines the specifics of the anti-German riot of the Slovenes on 18-20 September 1908 in Ljubljana, which took place in the context of a general tightening of Slovenian-German confrontation at the beginning of the twentieth century, and also analyses their results and significance for the further development of the national struggle of the Slovenian people. In response to the anti-Slovenian protests by the Germans in Ptuj on 13 September 1908, Slovene liberals held a protest rally in Ljubljana on 18 September, which escalated into street riots where Germans were attacked by Slovenes. These were the most powerful incidences of public unrest in the city since the revolution of 1848. As late as 20  September, they were suppressed by government troops, while several Slovenians were injured and two were killed. The shooting of Slovene protesters had serious consequences. Anti-German and anti-Slovenian protest rallies and demonstrations pervaded the empire, the Germans were outraged by the actions of the Slovenian nationalists, and the majority of the Austrian Slavs expressed their solidarity with them. One of the consequences of the September protests in Ljubljana was a boycott against the Germans initiated by Slovenian politicians, which not only infringed on their national dignity, but also incurred serious economic damage to them. Previously, Slovenian historians assessed the September events in Ljubljana as a milestone in the development of the national self-awareness of the Slovenes; modern researchers believe that they should not be considered to be of so much importance. In any case, anti-German unrest in Ljubljana caused a rise in nationalism among the Slovenes, dissatisfaction with the actions of the army and the government, and sharply worsened Slovene-German relations. In addition to the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary a few days later, the riots gave impetus to the intensified development of the Slovenes’ own version of the trialism programme, which was already adopted in January 1909 by both Catholics and liberals at a meeting of the Carniola provincial assembly.