Commitment to the West, but Also to the Baltic-Adriatic Axis

A reader’s letter challenges Dimitrij Rupel’s interpretation of Slovenian history, arguing that it selectively and inadequately explains the development of Slovenian identity and the Slovenian language.

The letter disputes Rupel’s claim that Slovenian was once underestimated and persecuted even in Slovenian lands, while its development was obstructed in neighboring countries and among emigrants. The author also rejects his assessment that the language is now in an unenviable position because of secondary-school students’ knowledge, pointing instead to Slovenia’s broad and rich literature and the language’s use in science.

The author further objects to the claim that attempts to achieve national goals under the Habsburg monarchy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes failed because Anton Korošec and other Catholic-camp party leaders faltered before achieving political independence and preserving national aims. The supplied text ends while developing that argument.