The Society of St. Cyril and Method for national defence in schools tried to oppose the activity of denationalization of the private school associations of Schulverein, Pro Patria and Lega Nazionale during the period from 1885 to 1918. The net of its branch establishments was spread all over the Slovene ethnical territory, but also outside of it. The Styrian branch establishments of CMD (Družba sv. Cirila in Metoda), 40 of them were founded up to the year 1907, were remarkable cultural focuses and centres of waking the national consciousness of the Styrian Slovenes.