The Bridge | Page 20

SLOVENIA BECOMES AWARE THAT IT IS A NATION

Maria Theresa's reforms have ended centralized power and absolutism and modernized the culture and economy of her lands including Slovenia.

What a remarkable accomplishment for Slovenia!

Here are just a few new reforms:

She has re-organized the administrative system by creating provincial departments and district offices that supervize the land owners and the city administation.

She's established supervision over taxes to make sure the aristocrats pay up as well.

She's introduced the land register or 'cataster'.

She's imported potatoes from Peru to help

children live longer...and I must say they're quite good.

AND her school reforms are remarkable. Primary school is obligatory for all, even for my girls.

She's modernized the Catholic Church and granted Protestants almost equal status with Catholics as well as lifting restrictions on Jews. They all have the right to an education.

So now we have two secondary schools in Slovenia – one in Ljubljana and one in Celovec. We've become a cultural nation and we have our own language. Now we would really like to have our own university. But I suppose that will have to wait a bit longer.....But it's nice to dream, isn't it?

Collected and prepared by students from the English Circle at Osnovna šola

Pivka, Slovenia