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Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid 19th Century aimed at unity of all the Slavic People . The main focus was in the Balkans where Southern Slavs had been ruled over by the two great empires, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire . It was also used as political tool by the Russian Empire and Soviet Union . ORIGINS Although pan-Slavic ideas were first expounded by Juraj Križanić in the mid-17th century, full-scale Pan-Slavism began much like Pan-Germanism , both of which grew from the sense of unity and Nationalism experienced within ethnic groups under the domination of France during the Napoleonic Wars . Like other Romantic nationalist movements, Slavic intellectuals and scholars in the developing fields of History , Philology , and Folklore actively encouraged the passion of their shared identity and ancestry. Pan-Slavism also co-existed with the Southern Slavic independence. Commonly used symbols of the Pan-Slavic movement were the Pan-Slavic Colours (red, white and blue) and the Pan-Slavic anthem, '' Hey, Slavs ''. The movement began following the end of the wars in 1815 . In the aftermath, the European leaders sought to restore the pre-war status quo. Austria's representative in the Congress Of Vienna , Metternich , felt the threat to this status quo in Austria was the nationalists demanding independence from the empire. While their subjects were composed of numerous ethnic groups (such as Italians, Romanians, Hungarians, etc), most of the subjects were Slavs. The first Pan-Slav convention was held in Prague , Bohemia in 1848 while the Southern Slavic movement was active after Serbia regained independence from Turkish Ottoman Empire . Meanwhile, Austria pursued its extremely repressive domestic policies to curb the nationalists, who Austria feared would endanger their empire. PAN-SLAVISM IN CENTRAL EUROPE The first Pan-Slavic convention was held in Prague in 1848 and was specifically both anti-Austrian and anti-Russian. Pan-Slavism has some supporters among Czech politicians but never gained dominant influence, possibly other than treating Czechs and Slovaks as branches of a single nation. Pan-Slavism was used as propaganda tool by Russian Empire. In time the Pan-Slavic movement was dominated by Russians, and the idea of Slavic unity changed to a vision of the Russian Empire ruling over all Slavs; Russian proponents of the idea believed that Russian people are "true" Slavs. Some even believed other nations of Slavic origins should adopt Russian language, Orthodox religion, and Cyrilic writing. Such behaviour led many former supporters of this idea to denounce it either as outdated or simple Russification. During ). Creation of an independent Czechoslovakia made the old ideals of Pan-Slavism anachronistic. Relations with other Slavic states varied, sometimes being tense. Even tensions between Czechs and Slovaks had appeared. Establishment of the Eastern Bloc after World War II and especially Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 made Pan-Slavism ridiculed and dead. Slovak resentment of cultural and economical dominance by the Czechs led to the Dissolution Of Czechoslovakia in 1993. PAN-SLAVISM IN THE BALKANS Pan-Slavism in the south was vastly different, instead it often turned to Russia for support. The Southern Slavic movement advocated the independence of the Slavic peoples in Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire . The Serbian people sought to unite all of the Southern, Balkan Slavs under their rule. Serbia, just having gained independence, was a small nascent state, whereas the Austro-Hungarian Empire, though unstable, was still a strong opponent to Serbia. In this circumstance, the idea of Russia involving the Southern Slavic unity was favored. The Southern Slavs were some of the first to revolt against the decaying Ottoman Empire . In 1806 and again in 1815 , the Serbs secured their independence from the Ottomans. Almost immediately after Serbia's independence, the Serbs began seeking expansion and unity of all the Southern Slavs not under Serbian rule. A successful emancipation there would result in the disintegration of the Austrian Empire; Austria therefore pursued an aggressive response to these challenges with its extremely repressive domestic policies. This was one of the causes of World War I . After World War I the creation of the Kingdom Of Yugoslavia , under Serbian royalty, did unite most Southern Slavs. The problem that Yugoslavia would face was the Serb domination in the kingdom. PAN-SLAVISM IN POLAND Although early Pan-Slavism had found interest among some Poles, it soon lost its appeal as the movement became dominated by Russia, and while Russian panslavists spoke of liberation of other Slavs through Russian actions, Poles themselves were under an oppressive occupation by the Russian Empire since the . MODERN DAY DEVELOPMENTS The authentic idea of unity of the Slavic people was all but gone after World War I when the maxim "Versailles and Trianon have put an end to all Slavisms" {Link without Title} and was finally put to rest with the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in late 1980s. With failures in establishing and harmonizing within Pan-Northern (Czechoslovakia), Pan-Southern (Yugoslavia) Slavic state, or the problem Russian dominance in any proposed all-Slavic organisation the idea of Pan-Slavic unity is considered dead. Varying relations between the Slavic countries exist nowadays; they range from mutual respect on equal footing and sympathy towards one another through traditional dislike and enmity, to indifference. None, other than culture and heritage oriented organizations, are currently considered as a form of rapprochement among the countries with Slavic origins. SEE ALSO
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