Slovene Cultural and Political Differences between Cultural Creativityand Political Activity 1980 – 1987

Abstract

After the death of President Tito Yugoslav intellectuals started to publish articles in whichthey criticized the current Yugoslav political system and the mistakes and privileges of itscommunist leaders. While in other parts of Yugoslavia the authors of such articles were stillbeing legally persecuted, Slovene authorities were more tolerant of those who did not agreewith them. Numerous demands of cultural workers gradually acquired distinctively politicaltendencies (such as the demands to abolish the so-called verbal delict or to investigate illegalactivities of the Communist Party during its climb to power, for instance). At first, intellec-tuals tended to disguise these demands as cultural themes, claiming that they were mainlyinterested in cultural and less in political issues. In 1987, however, their activities becameexplicitly political. Using decidedly political terms, they actively participated in the forma-tion of the future Slovene political system