Ivan Ahčin (March 9, 1897 – February 14, 1960) was a
Slovene sociologist,
journalist
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
,
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
, and
politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
.
Ahčin was born in Spodnje Domžale (now part of
Domžale
Domžale (; )''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 24. is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Domžale in Slovenia. The town lies ne ...
) and baptized ''Janez Ahčin''.
He studied theology at the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...
, where he graduated in 1925. He later worked as a professor of sociology at the University of Ljubljana. Between 1929 and 1941 he was also the editor of the newspaper ''
Slovenec'', the official organ of the
Slovene People's Party and one of the two most influential newspapers in
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. He was one of the closest associates of the conservative Slovene politician
Anton Korošec
Anton Korošec (, ; 12 May 1872 – 14 December 1940) was a Yugoslav politician, a prominent member of the conservative People's Party, a Roman Catholic priest and a noted orator.
Early life
Korošec was born in Biserjane (then Duchy of Styr ...
.
After the
Axis invasion of Yugoslavia
The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Fü ...
in April 1941, Ahčin cooperated with
Marko Natlačen, former governor of the
Drava Banovina
The Drava Banovina or Drava Banate (Slovene language, Slovene and Serbo-Croatian: ''Dravska banovina''), was a province (Ban (title), banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of most of present-day Slove ...
in the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
, who advocated collaboration with the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
administration of the
Province of Ljubljana
The Province of Ljubljana (, , ) was the central-southern area of Slovenia. In 1941, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy, and after 1943 occupied by Nazi Germany. Created on May 3, 1941, it was abolished on May 9, 1945, when the Slovene Parti ...
. After the assassination of Natlačen by
Slovene communist agents in October 1942, Ahčin emigrated to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, from where he contacted the Yugoslav
government in exile
A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovereign state or semi-sovereign state, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usu ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and became one of the main advisors of the exiled Slovene conservative politician
Miha Krek. In Rome, he also established contacts with
Janko Kralj, a Slovene exile from
Gorizia
Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...
: the two helped many anti-Nazis escape Nazi persecution between 1943 and 1944, when Rome was under German occupation.
After 1945, Ahčin moved to
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, where he worked as a professor at the
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...
's Faculty of Theology. He died of colon cancer in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
.
In 1999, two historians from
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
,
Bojan Godeša and
Ervin Dolenc, published Ahčin's memoirs of the period when he worked with Anton Korošec. The book, entitled ''Izgubljeni spomin na Antona Korošca'' (The Lost Memory of Anton Korošec), was published by
Nova Revija, and it reopened the discussion of the role of Anton Korošec in
Slovene history.
Books
* ''Komunizem: največja nevarnost naše dobe'' (Communism: The Greatest Danger of Our Time, 1939)
* ''Prostozidarstvo'' (Freemasonry, 1941)
* ''Sociologija I'' (Sociology I, textbook, 1953)
* ''Sociologija II'' (Sociology II, textbook, 1955)
* ''Socialna ekonomija'' (Social Economy, textbook, 1958)
References
* ''Slovenski veliki leksikon'' (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2003)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahcin, Ivan
1897 births
1960 deaths
People from Domžale
20th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests
Slovene People's Party (historical) politicians
Slovenian theologians
Slovenian sociologists
Slovenian editors
Slovenian people of World War II
Yugoslav emigrants to Argentina
University of Ljubljana alumni
Academic staff of the University of Ljubljana
Academic staff of the University of Buenos Aires
Argentine people of Slovenian descent
Yugoslav Roman Catholic priests
20th-century Slovenian journalists
20th-century Argentine Roman Catholic priests