On “Damned Women and Men”

Reflections of everyday life in the records of the Konjice Local Court during the dissolution of the Dual Monarchy

Abstract

The article examines everyday life among the residents of Slovenske Konjice and the surrounding municipalities as reflected in the records of the Konjice Local Court after the end of the Dual Monarchy in 1918. During the transition and transformation into a new Yugoslav state, the area of Slovenske Konjice witnessed major change. Having bid farewell to the “decaying Austria”, imposing mass manifestations were organized. Slovenian replaced German as the official language. The introductory part presents in detail how the processes of Slovenization and de-Austrization developed. The overturn affected the operations of the Konjice Local Court, which now operated in Slovenian instead of German. Well-preserved records about numerous minor criminal offences comprise a mosaic of brief stories portraying an authentic picture of illegal practices among the local population. These stories reflect the most trivial and even banal situations and aspects of everyday life after the war. Based on these, the study aims to show how the routine and the everyday life of the common person was affected by the Great War, shortages and supply problems at the time. The article concludes that the war and the post-war crisis created a special atmosphere, in a way triggering several illegal and unwanted acts, including criminal offences.