For the Slovene population in the Littoral and Istria, the annexation of this region to Italy in 1918 was a true catastrophe, especially in the fields of culture and education. The intention of the new authorities was to assimilate the Slavic population. In a few years the Slovene language was abolished in schools, where the main goal of education became fascism. Following the capitualtion of Italy in 1943, partisan schools teaching in the Slovene language were established in the liberated areas. These schools operated, with some interruptions, until liberation.