The Hostages of History? A victimological outline of Slovenia in the period between 1941 and 1945

Abstract

According to the existing data, the Second World War in Slovenia claimed between 65,000 and 75,000 victims or 4 to 4.5 percent of the population which, in 1941, counted aro\ind 1,600,000. As a consequence of repression by the opponents of the partisan movement, between 40,000 and 50,000 partisans, their sympathizers and civilians, or 2.5 to 3.1 percent of the population, died. The forced mobilization of Slovenians into the German army took a further 10,000 lives or 0.6 percent of the population. On the side of the Slovenian opponents of the partisan movement there were over 15,000 victims or 0.9 percent of the population. Those most at risk during the war were the males of conscript age who lived in the rural surroundings of the Ljubljana province and were members of the collaborationist military formations.