As part of the efforts to involve Italy in the war, the The Antante forces ceded a third of the territory where Slovenes lived to Italy in advance in 1915 (Treaty of London). Imperial Russia, a signatory to the treaty, and Britain were indi3erent to the Slovenes, with Britain only learning more about them towards the end of the war. The French, who were allied with the Serbs, saw Yugoslavism as an expansion of Serbia and the creation of a single nation. The United States also only learned more about the Slovenes towards the end of the war. Although Wilson generally opposed secret pacts and supported the Austro-Hungarian nations’ right to self-determination, American policy was markedly di3erent in practice. The American representatives viewed the Slovenian nation similarly to other great powers and considered it an “unhistorical” nation that was not prepared to fight for national goals and whose culture was much lower than that of larger nations.
The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 failed to resolve the so-called Adriatic question, which concerned also the border between Italy and the new Yugoslav state. With a bilateral agreement in Rapallo in November 1920 (Treaty of Rapallo),the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes submitted completely to the Italian demands. After the war, the Slovenes were divided into four states, with the possibility of national development only existing within Yugoslavia.
|
