Alojzij Kuhar
Encyclopedia
Alojzij Kuhar was a Slovenia
n and Yugoslav
politician
, diplomat
, historian
and journalist
. Together with Izidor Cankar
and Franc Snoj, he was an important exponent of the liberal conservative fraction of the Slovene People's Party
.
near Guštanj
, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Slovenia). One of his brothers was Lovro Kuhar, better known under the pen name of Prežihov Voranc
, who became a renowned Communist activist during the inter World War years.
Alojzij was an ordained Roman Catholic priest. In 1919, he studied law in Paris
. In the 1920s and 1930s, he served in the diplomatic service of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
, whilst simultaneously working as the editor on foreign policy for the conservative newspaper Slovenec. After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
in April 1941, he emigrated to New York City
and then to London
, where he collaborated in the activities of the Yugoslav Government in exile. Together with Miha Krek
, Franc Snoj, and Izidor Cankar, he formed the core of the Slovene People's Party in exile. Between 1942 and 1944, he worked as the Slovene speaker for Radio London
, and was later replaced by Boris Furlan
.
After the Treaty of Vis between the Yugoslav Prime Minister in exile Ivan Šubašić
and the Yugoslav partisan leader Josip Broz Tito
, Kuhar unsuccessfully tried to convince the leadership of the Slovene People's Party to recognize the Yugoslav pro-Communist resistance, and was also unsuccessfully in his protestations that the collaborationist Slovene Home Guard should join forces with the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
. Unlike his contemporaries Izidor Cankar and Franc Snoj, who returned to Slovenia at the end of World War II
, Kuhar remained in exile, where he assumed a highly critical attitude towards the new Communist regime.
In 1949, he obtained a PhD at the University of Cambridge
with a thesis on the Christianisation of Slovenes in the Middle Ages. He settled in New York City
, where he died in 1958.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n and Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. Together with Izidor Cankar
Izidor Cankar
Izidor Cankar was a Slovenian author, art historian, diplomat, publicist, translator, and liberal conservative politician...
and Franc Snoj, he was an important exponent of the liberal conservative fraction of the Slovene People's Party
Slovene People's Party (historical)
The Slovene People's Party was a Slovenian political party in the 19th and 20th centuries, active in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Between 1907 and 1941, it was the largest and arguably the most influential political party in the Slovene Lands...
.
Biography
Kuhar was born into a Carinthian Slovene family in KotljeKotlje
Kotlje is a village in the hills to the south of Ravne na Koroškem in the Carinthia region in northern Slovenia.The Parish Church in the village is dedicated to Saint Margaret and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor...
near Guštanj
Ravne na Koroškem
Ravne na Koroškem is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. Until 1918, the town was part of the Duchy of Carinthia. It is the largest town in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia and its capital. Its Slovene name means 'Ravne in Carinthia', in order to distinguish it from...
, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Slovenia). One of his brothers was Lovro Kuhar, better known under the pen name of Prežihov Voranc
Prežihov Voranc
Prežihov Voranc was the pen name of Lovro Kuhar, a Slovene writer and Communist political activist. Voranc's literary reputation was established during the 1930s with a series of Slovene novels and short stories in the social realist style, notable for their depictions of poverty in rural and...
, who became a renowned Communist activist during the inter World War years.
Alojzij was an ordained Roman Catholic priest. In 1919, he studied law in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In the 1920s and 1930s, he served in the diplomatic service of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, whilst simultaneously working as the editor on foreign policy for the conservative newspaper Slovenec. After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
in April 1941, he emigrated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and then to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he collaborated in the activities of the Yugoslav Government in exile. Together with Miha Krek
Miha Krek
Miha Krek was a Slovenian lawyer and conservative politician. Between 1941 and 1969, he was the informal leader of the Slovenian anti-Communist emigration....
, Franc Snoj, and Izidor Cankar, he formed the core of the Slovene People's Party in exile. Between 1942 and 1944, he worked as the Slovene speaker for Radio London
Radio London
Radio London may refer to one of the following radio stations:*A popular name for the BBC World Service in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II*The station now known as BBC London 94.9...
, and was later replaced by Boris Furlan
Boris Furlan
Boris Furlan was a Slovenian jurist, philosopher of law, translator and liberal politician. During World War II, he worked as a speaker on Radio London, and was known as the "London's Slovene voice". He served as a Minister in the Tito-Šubašić coalition government...
.
After the Treaty of Vis between the Yugoslav Prime Minister in exile Ivan Šubašić
Ivan Šubašic
Ivan Šubašić was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, best known as the last Ban of Banovina of Croatia.He was born in Vukova Gorica, then in Austria-Hungary. He finished grammar and high school in Zagreb, and enrolled onto the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zagreb...
and the Yugoslav partisan leader Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, Kuhar unsuccessfully tried to convince the leadership of the Slovene People's Party to recognize the Yugoslav pro-Communist resistance, and was also unsuccessfully in his protestations that the collaborationist Slovene Home Guard should join forces with the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
On 26 April 1941 in Ljubljana the Anti-Imperialist Front was established. It was to promote "an international massive movement" to "liberate the Slovenian nation" whose "hope and example was the Soviet Union"...
. Unlike his contemporaries Izidor Cankar and Franc Snoj, who returned to Slovenia at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kuhar remained in exile, where he assumed a highly critical attitude towards the new Communist regime.
In 1949, he obtained a PhD at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
with a thesis on the Christianisation of Slovenes in the Middle Ages. He settled in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he died in 1958.
Works
- The Conversion of the Slovenes and the German-Slav Ethnic Boundary in the Eastern Alps (New York, Washington, 1959);
- Slovene Medieval History : Selected Studies (New York, Washington, 1962);
- Beg iz Beograda aprila 1941 ('Escape from Belgrade in April 1941, edited by Janez A. Arnež, Ljubljana, Washington, 1998).