“Our Kosovo Shall Be Avenged as Well!” Speeches Held in Primary Schools at Patriotic Ceremonies in the Yugoslav Kingdom

Abstract

Primary schools in Yugoslavia were tasked with turning pupils into nationally conscious Yugoslav citizens. Speeches given by teachers at ceremonies in schools of Ljubljana demonstrate the vagueness of the official definition of the new nation. They also convey the motifs from which teachers drew when educating primary school students. Children were taught that the nation’s enemies must be avenged by way of the Serbian example and that Slovenes living in different states must be united, which brought the promise of a bright future and a true unifi- cation of Yugoslavia.