Rim 45 pr. Kr., Milano 395 po Kr., Metlika 1999 po Kr. : neprijetnost in nujnost spomina na državljansko vojno

The article discusses three cases of public commemoration of a civil war victory, one from the present-day Slovenia and two from the antiquity. The article’s starting point is the decision of the Metlika municipal council from 1999 to re-establish the 26th of November as a municipal holiday even though it is connected with a victory by the communist-led Partisans in the civil strife among Slovenians. It explores the reasons for the public display of civil war successes over compatriots throughout various historical periods. It is fairly clear that both the communist victory in the civil war among Slovenians during the Second World War and Caesar’s victory in the civil war in the 1st century BC decisively shaped relations in the respective communities. The victors in both cases felt compelled to make this clear to the community as a whole and to the adherents of the losing side in particular.