The article deals with political and economic processes taking place in Slovenia and in Yugoslavia after President Tito’s death in 1980 until the 1990 plebiscite proclaiming an independent Slovenia. 1980’s denoted a turning point in recent Slovene history, leading to the introduction of a multyparty sistem and the secession from Yugoslavia. The author describes and analyzes the appearance of informal, and later formal, opposition, civil society activities, relationship between Slovene authorities and the opposition, formation of national programs and the search for consensus between different political fractions, the process of secession from Yugoslavia and subsequent independence (economic, constitutional/legal, military, international), and the relations between Slovenia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.