Makro in mikro posledice anšlusa: ko je postala severovzhodna Slovenija za Britance res prvič geopolitično pomembna

Abstract

Category: 1.01 Original scientific paper Language: Original in Slovenian (Abstract in Slovenian and English, Summary in English) Key words: Anschluss, north-eastern Slovenia, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Third Reich, Great Britain, secrets/intelligence services, Special Operations Executive, diplomacy, British consulate in Slovenia, 1938–1941 Abstract: The article presents selected macro and micro consequences of the Anschluss, the Nazi annexation and incorporation of Austria into "Greater Germany" in March/April 1938, when the Slovenian north-eastern region (and the entire northern part of the Drava banovina) gained significance practically overnight, since there the Kingdom of Yugoslavia bordered directly on the Third Reich. Based on an analysis of lesser known sources from the National Archives in London and taking into account published documents and relevant literature, the article sheds light on the efforts of the British to establish a more effective counter-Nazi intelligence service, which finally evolved into the Special Operations Executive; the development of this service among Slovenians; the efforts of the British diplomats to establish a consulate in Ljubljana; the situation on the ground. The purpose of the article is to present one of the key issues of the period right before the eve of the Second World War and to point out the crucial fact that following the Anschluss, north-eastern Slovenia and the Slovenian ethnic territory in general gained great geopolitical significance – for the British, for the first time in history. We took into account the time frame from the spring of 1938 to the April aggression of 1941.