On this week’s episode of the show “Beremo” (“Reading Together”), host Metod Berlec spoke to Dr Milko Mikola, a renowned historian and expert on communist crimes in Slovenia. Dr Mikola, author of books such as “Red Violence: Repression in Slovenia after 1945” (“Rdeče nasilje: Represija v Sloveniji po letu 1945”) and “Unforgivable: Communist Crimes against Women and Children in Slovenia” (“Neoprostljivo: Komunistični zločini nad ženskami in otroki na Slovenskem”), revealed the extent and nature of communist repression after World War II.
“Instead of freedom, the Nazi totalitarian system was replaced by another totalitarian system – the communist one,” said Dr Milko Mikola in the introduction. In their discussion, he and the presenter of the show focused on the transition to communist totalitarianism, post-war killings, concentration camps, deportations and violence against women and children. Mikola was also critical of all attempts to glorify the communist revolution, and he sees the current government as the “successor” to that of Boris Kidrič.
Mikola began by pointing out that the communist revolution began in 1941 and culminated in the post-war killings, especially of the Home Guard soldiers returning from Carinthia. This transition was tragic for the Slovenians, who, after suffering heavy losses in the war, faced new oppression.
The beginning of the Communist Revolution
The Communist Revolution did not begin at the end of the war, but in April 1941, with the founding of the Anti-Imperialist Front, which later became the Liberation Front (Osvobodilna fronta – OF). Mikola pointed out that the date of the 22nd of July 1941, which was once celebrated as the Day of Resistance, is problematic because it was the day when a Slovenian turned on a Slovenian, “the revolution undoubtedly began in July – at the latest – but in fact, it began with the founding of the Anti-Imperialist Front in April 1941”, Mikola explained, pointing out the misleading nature of the official communist narratives about this date.
A comprehensive overview of communist repression
In his book “Red Violence: Repression in Slovenia after 1945”, Mikola documents in detail the extent of communist crimes, including extrajudicial killings, concentration and labour camps, forced expropriations and deportations. The book, which won the 2013 Zois Prize, also examines the persecution of religious communities and political processes. “This book […] is a comprehensive overview of all the violence, the worst forms of violence, that the communists carried out, or the communist regime carried out, from the end of the war until the early 1950s,” said Mikola, who is using his work to expose the suppressed aspects of Slovenian history.
Concentration camps and civilian victims
In his work, Mikola pays special attention to the post-war concentration camps, such as Teharje, Brestrnica, Studenci and Šentvid nad Ljubljano, which were used not only for the Home Guard soldiers, but also for civilians. Documents from the Communist authorities, such as the report from the Department for Protection of the People – OZNA for the Celje district, confirm that these camps were referred to as concentration camps, although he points out that this adjective is often omitted in Slovenian history. “So, these camps were concentration camps, and the [communist] authorities themselves called them concentration camps. […] They established a concentration camp at Teharje on the 16th of May, 1945. At that time, there were no Home Guard soldiers imprisoned there yet, but this camp was established for civilians,” Mikola revealed, dispelling the myth that the camps were only for military opponents.
Violence against women and children
In his book “Unforgivable: Communist Crimes against Women and Children in Slovenia”, Mikola describes the horrific crimes committed against civilians, especially women and children. Among others, he cites examples of the massacre of entire families, such as the Kolenc, Hudnik and Mavsar families, and the inhuman conditions in camps such as Teharje, where babies were exposed to the sun until they died. “The most shocking thing is that the youngest children, who were not yet able to walk, […] were loaded onto a cart […] and left to die in agony in the June sun,” Mikola described in shock.
The responsibility of the Communist Party leadership
Mikola attributes the main responsibility for communist crimes to the leadership of the Communist Party of Slovenia, especially Edvard Kardelj and Boris Kidrič, who directed the repressive measures. He also mentions Josip Kocbek, who, as a Christian socialist, approved of revolutionary violence, which is contrary to Christian values. “The greatest responsibility lies […] with the leadership of the Communist Party. […] Kidrič and Kardelj, and they also bear the greatest responsibility for everything that happened,” Mikola stressed, pointing to the systematic nature of post-war repression.
Women sadists
The historian went on to reveal that even some women actively participated in communist violence, which is particularly striking. Mikola mentioned examples such as Tatjana Krvava, who preyed on prisoners, and Zdenka Kidrič, who organised liquidations. “Unfortunately, some of the women who joined the partisan movement […] turned out to be sadists,” said Mikola, who pointed out that individual women, such as the 19-year-old leader of the Petriček camp, carried out cruel acts against children.
Critique of modern myths of the revolution
Historian Mikola is a harsh critic of the current government, which he says is reviving communist myths such as the glorification of the Liberation Front or the Kidrič government as the first national government. He pointed out that there was a discontinuity with the real national government of 1918 and stressed that the post-war government bears responsibility for the mass killings. “The present government, which in my judgement is the most left-wing since ’92, […] owes its position to the communist revolution. […] It is therefore not surprising if the myths of the communist revolution have been revived again,” Mikola concluded.
Mikola noted that he sees today’s government as “a kind of successor to that first government, which [the current government] calls the first national government, which Kidrič chaired, and which was established in Ajdovščina on the 5th of May, 1945 – but it was not the first national government of Slovenia. The first national government was established in October 1918, when the state of Slovenians, Croatians and Serbians was founded.” He pointed out that the Kidrič government became an important part of the history of the Slovenian nation primarily by carrying out a massacre or crimes against its own people.
Dr Milko Mikola is a historian, retired archivist of the Celje Historical Archives, former head of the Injustice and National Reconciliation Sector of the Ministry of Justice, a persistent researcher of post-war communist violence in Slovenia, and author and editor of numerous publications.
In 2013, he was awarded the Zois Award, the highest national prize for achievements in the field of scientific research, for his book “Red Violence: Repression in Slovenia after 1945”. Last year, his latest book, “Unforgivable: Communist Crimes against Women and Children in Slovenia”, was published by the Družina publishing house.
You can watch the show in its entirety (in Slovenian) here: https://youtu.be/ncl5a3_aAU4?feature=shared
T. B.
