Financial and Economic Initiatives of Slovenian Liberals in the 1870s–90s (With an Emphasis on the Activities of I. Hribar)

Abstract

The article, based on the memoirs of the Slovenian Liberal I. Hribar and his publications in the newspapers Slovenski Narod and Slovan, as well as the research of Slovenian historians, analyzes the most important liberal financial and economic initiatives of the 1870–1890s, which contributed to the development of the national economy of the Slovenes. Particular attention is paid to aspects that have not yet been sufficiently studied: the activities of I. Hribar in banking development, as well as the program for the development of the Slovenian national economy that he put forward in articles from the 1880s. Slovenian liberals in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries adhered to Pan-European liberal socio-economic doctrines. At the same time, like other Slavic liberals in Austria-Hungary, the focus of their attention was the national-political aspirations of their people, and the development of the Slovenian economy and trade was supposed to create the material basis for their implementation. One of the most energetic liberal figures, I. Hribar, when developing his financial and economic projects, sought to create large Slovenian capital and increase its competitiveness in relation to German and Italian, and to the national, cultural and political emancipation of Slovenian entrepreneurs. He managed to achieve the creation of a number of modern financial institutions, which greatly contributed to the rise and modernization of the national economy in the Slovenian lands, especially in the Krajina region and its center Ljubljana. However, already in the mid-1890s, the Slovenian Christian Socialists, who were part of the Catholic Party, began to implement their socio-economic program. Unlike the liberals, they created cooperatives aimed at supporting the poorest strata of the population. They showed greater flexibility and understanding of the economic situation than most liberals, which contributed to the growth of their party's popularity among the Slovenians.

Received 16 October 2024

Revised 9 November 2024

Accepted 11 December 2024

For citation: Kirilina, L. A., 2024. Financial and Economic Initiatives of Slovenian Liberals in the 1870s–90s (With an Emphasis on the Activities of I. Hribar). Slavic World in the Third Millennium, 19 (3–4), pp. 46–66. https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2024.19.3-4.03