The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Slovenia joined the eurozone in 2007.

Slovenian public television broadcaster, Radiotelevizija Slovenija, operates a system of national and regional TV stations. Additionally, 35 domestic commercial television stations broadcast nationally, regionally, and locally. About 60% of households are connected to multichannel cable TV systems. Slovenia's public radio broadcaster operates three national and four regional stations. Over 75 regional and local commercial and non-commercial radio stations are operational. There are eight daily newspapers in Slovenia. The most popular newspapers include the dily broadsheet Delo and tabloid Slovenske Novice.