ions movement within the Austrian Empire. It demanded a unification of all Slovene-speaking territories in an autonomous kingdom, named Slovenija, within the empire and an official status for the Slovene language. Although the project failed, it served as an important platform of Slovene political activity in the following decades, particularly in at the turn of 1860s and 1870s, when mass Slovene rallies, named tabori, were organised. The conflict between Slovene and German nationalists deepened. In 1866, some Slovenes were left to Italy, and in 1867, some remained in the Hungarian part of the Austria-Hungary. This significantly affected the nation and led to further radicalisation of the Slovene national movement. In 1890s, the first Slovene political parties were established. All of them were loyal to Austria, but they were also espousing a common South Slavic cause.
After 1848, Slovenes, who were still mostly farmers, enjoyed for the first time personal freedom. This brought economic insecurity, leading many to urban centres. The construction of railroads began and industry developed considerably. After 1880, due to economic circumstances, hundreds of thousands of Slovenes emigrated to other countries, mostly to the United States, but also to South America, Germany, Egypt, and to larger cities in the Austria-Hungary, especially Zagreb and Vienna. It has been calculated that around 300,000 Slovenes or one in six emigrated between 1880 and 1910. Despite this, the Slovene population increased significantly and became as socially differentiated as in other European nations. Literacy was exceptionally high, at 80 to 90 percent.
World War I
World War I resulted in heavy casualties for Slovenes, particularly on the twelve Battles of the Isonzo, which took place in what is nowadays Slovenia's western border area. Hundreds of thousands of Slovene conscripts were drafted in the Austro-Hungarian Army, and over 30,000 of them lost their lives
