The Slovene Peasant Party ( sl, Slovenska kmetska stranka, SKS) was a Slovenian agrarianist political party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It was active between 1926 and 1929. During its short-lived history, it was one of the most important political parties in Slovenia. The party was founded in May 1926 out of the fusion of the liberal agrarian

Independent Agrarian Party The Independent Agrarian Party ( sl, Samostojna kmetijska stranka, SKS) was a Slovenian political party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It was active between 1919 and 1926, when it merged with the Slovenian Agrarian Labour Republica ...

and the

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

Slovenian Labour Agrarian Republican Party Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia * Sl ...

. The new party adopted a federalist and progressivist program, and became one of the most vocal advocates of Slovenian autonomy within Yugoslavia. The Slovene Peasant Party allied itself with the Croatian Peasant Party, which largely served as its ideological model. However, the Slovene Peasant Party never gained the popularity of its Croatian counterpart. Although it gained substantial support in some areas in Slovenia (especially in parts of

Slovenian Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of ...

and in Lower Carniola), it remained far behind the conservative

Slovene People's Party The Slovenian People's Party ( sl, Slovenska ljudska stranka, , Slovene abbreviation SLS ) is a conservative, agrarian, Christian-democratic political party in Slovenia. Formed in 1988 under the name of Slovenian Peasant Union as the first democ ...

, its main political adversary. The Slovene Peasant Party only participated in the parliamentary elections of 1927. Between 1927 and 1929, it formed a united opposition front together with the Croatian Peasant Party and the Independent Democratic Party against the coalition government between the

Serbian Radicals The Serbian Radical Party ( sr-cyrl, Српска радикална странка, Srpska radikalna stranka, ''SRS'') is an Ultranationalism, ultranationalist List of political parties in Serbia, political party in Serbia. It was founded in 1 ...

and the Slovene People's Party.

Aftermath

After the establishment of the January 6th Dictatorship in 1929, the Slovene Peasant Party was dissolved. Many of its former members, mostly from the

, later joined the pro-regime Yugoslav National Party. Its left wing, on the other hand, re-organized itself around the youth movement known as Union of Peasant Boys and Girls, which was one of the strongest youth movements in Slovenia in the 1930s. In many areas, they formed the core of the Slovenian partisan resistance during World War II.

Prominent members

* Ivan Pucelj, chairman * Albin Prepeluh * Dragotin Lončar *

Drago Marušič Drago Marušič (10 December 1884 – 30 September 1964) was a Slovenian and Yugoslav politician and jurist. Born in Opatje Selo in present-day western Slovenia, Marušič studied law at Universities of Graz and Prague, where he graduated in 191 ...

* Venceslav Winkler {{KoY parties Political parties in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Political history of Slovenia Political parties established in 1926 Political parties disestablished in 1929 Agrarian parties in Slovenia Defunct agrarian political parties Yugoslav Slovenia