The memory of the Illyrian provinces changed significantly at the turn of the 20th century under the influence of the Slovenian national movement and the new political situation following the dissolution of the Habsburg monarchy. The Napoleonic period was henceforth considered a golden age for the development of the Slovene language. The French were presented as liberators of the Slovenian people and culture, which had previously "suffered" under the German yoke. In the interwar period, liberal intellectuals and the political elite wanted to establish closer ties with their political ally France, and so they began to highlight the common Slovenian-French history. In the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the period of the Illyrian provinces was portrayed as the starting point of Yugoslav integration. After the dictatorship of King Alexander Karađorđević I was established in 1929, comparisons of the Yugoslav king with Napoleon emerged in newspapers. During the interwar period, the reinterpreted memory was disseminated through education and literature, the erection of monuments and the organisation of commemorative events. The French policy of cultural influence also played an important role by encouraging the creation of French circles, the promotion of French language and the funding of scholarships. The idealisation of the Illyrian Provinces culminated in two events in 1929: the inauguration of the Illyrian Pillar on today's French Revolution Square and the French tour of the Glasbena matica choir. Using a variety of sources (correspondence, press, memoirs, historiographical works, literary sources and textbooks), the thesis presents Franco-Slovenian relations in the interwar period and their influence on the reinterpretation of the history of the Illyrian Provinces.
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