Slovenia:

Over the past century Slovenia has rapidly developed from being a collection of provinces in the southern part of the Habsburg Empire, to a republic within Yugoslavia, to establishing itself as an independent state and becoming a member of the European Union.

This scholarly work provides a concise introduction to contemporary Slovenia, offering an overview of Slovenia's historical background and intellectual history, and detailed analyses the major political, economic and cultural developments since 1991. Portraying Slovenia as a distinctive state that paradoxically resist cultural homogenization, while moving beyond the national and towards Europe, John Coxexamines this unique Eastern European nation as an extremely successful example of post-communist transition and focuses on:

· The establishment of national sovereignty after splitting off from Yugoslavia and the country's recognition by the international community in 1992
· Politically democratization and the creation of a highly successful market economy in Slovenia
· Slovenia's accession to both NATO and the EU in 2004
· The gradual development of a national program and the development of a sense of national identity and self-confidence amongst the Slovene people


This up-to-date text will be of particular interest to students of East Central Europe, Modern European History and post-communist democratization.