Throughout history, Slovenes emigrated to various countries. They most often migrated to Central and Western European countries, and many also went across the oceans to the United States (USA), to Australia, and Argentina. The latter received Slovenian emigrants in different periods. At the end of the Second World War, more than 20,000 anti-communist individuals and others who feared the Communist Party, which took power in Yugoslavia after the war, left Slovenia. After three years of living in Italian and Austrian camps, Slovenian refugees moved around the world. Argentina accepted approximately 6,000 Slovenians. Most of them settled in the capital Buenos Aires and its surroundings, while smaller Slovenian communities were also formed in Mendoza, Bariloche and Tucuman. Soon after arriving in their new homeland, the Slovenes laid the foundations for a rich social and cultural activity. Patronage over most of the activities was taken over by the Association of Slovenes, or United Slovenia. This society represents the pinnacle of social organization and, together with local homes in the area of Greater Buenos Aires, it is the most responsible for the preservation of Slovene consciousness and language among generations of Slovenes to this day. Over the years, United Slovenia has been active in the cultural, educational and social fields, it organized numerous events, but it had also a significant impact on all other organizations and groups of post-war Slovenes, which otherwise operated more autonomously.
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