Government Public Relations and Media Office
Government Public Relations and Media Office

Slovenia - 10 Years of Independence
Path to Independence
Slovene Contribution to World Civilisation
The Celebration
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From the Plebiscite to the Declaration of Independence
War for Slovenia
Independence Documents
Recalling Memories
26 June 1991 - Ljubljana, the Square of the Republic

Slovensko

In order to start the process of gaining independence in Slovenia, we had first to force the abolition of the one-party system, and then introduce parliamentary democracy and call a plebiscite.

We succeeded in accomplishing the first organised step in this direction on 15 December 1987, at a major strike of the Litostroj company in Ljubljana, when the Initiative Committee (IO) of the Social-Democratic Alliance of Slovenia (SDZS), the first opposition party in the former communist world, was founded during a rally attended by 5,000 striking workers. Belgrade reacted to this by arresting the Foursome which lead to the establishment of the Committee and of several parties.

Following the establishment of the Polish Solidarity (attaining of trade union freedoms), a severe blow was dealt to the one-party system of the Eastern Block by the founding of the IO-SDZS. At the end of the 80s, Slovenia thus played a leading role in Europe in the process of democratisation of the Eastern Block. It can be claimed without exaggeration that the Berlin Wall started to crack right here in Ljubljana.