In the Slovene public discourse of the past quarter century there has been much talk of the past, particularly in connection with the Second World War. The debate is heated and lively, the arguments striking, but - it seems - not always sufficiently convincing. For if they were, then the view of the past would undoubtedly be clearer than it is. Now, in the midst of heated debate, it is not even clear, for example, whether the Second World War in Slovenia ever really finished, or whether some indomitable old fighters caught up in the struggle simply failed to hear the news about the war's end. Of course, the war was over long ago; the victors distributed medals, the losers licked their wounds. But the battle for interpretation continues. And thus memories of the past are a mixture of fantasy, wishful thinking and conscious distortions of the truth. Each side tries to validate its view of the past, in order to use it to legitimise its vision of the present and the future. But, as long as we are not satisfied merely with what can be seen at first glance, it becomes clear that things have proceeded in this fashion for quite a substantial period of time.
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