Between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 201 century, the independent association became the typical form of bourgeois organisation. This process was particularly important for the nations, which like the Slovenes, did not have their own state administration, especially in the areas where the Slovene population lived among other ethnic groups. This accounts for the historians' interest in the events relating to the Slovene associations in Trieste and in adjacent areas under the city's jurisdiction. The first attempts to set up associations date back to 1848. Later, the movement spread to all strata of Slovene society and it gradually specialised from the 1880s onwards. A network of associations, catering for every societal need within the national community was thus established. Other nationalities created parallel and selfsufficient societal circles. Both similarities and differences can be observed between the association networks organised by Slovenes, Italians, and Germans. After the annexation to Italy, the associative movement of the Slovenes underwent a process of adjustment. The latter was interrupted by the fascist persecution that condemned every independent association activity to illegality. The authors dealing with the history of the Slovene associative activity in and around Trieste found most of the relevant documentary material in the State Archives of Trieste. The archival fonds include the archival material belonging to the Austrian, and later, Italian state administrations, which governed the city from the mid- 18th to the late 20th century. The first systematic regulation in the field of associations under the Austrian system was the decree issued on 26 November 1852. Very few Slovene associations were legally permitted to pursue their activities in the Austrian coastal area while this provision was in force. The constitutional principle of the freedom of association was accepted under the law of 15 November 1867. Under this law, the administrative body controlling the creation of an association was the regional political authority, represented by a Governor whose seat was in Trieste. The "security authority," was represented by either the Police administration in Trieste, or by various district Capitanati, whose duties included supervision of the associations' ordinary activities. The existing official documents belonging to the Trieste Governorship include the collections of statutes constituting the "cadastral register" of regional associations, the associations' index-files, and the official documents regarding their creation and any subsequent changes in the legal situation of those associations whose seat was in the coastal area. The documentation regarding the associations' activities is in the archives of the Police administration in Trieste. The latter was competent for the city and its surrounding areas and numerous files mention the Slovene associations. A simple glance through the list reveals the quality and variety of the Slovene associations that were active in Trieste and adjacent areas under the Austrian rule. The co-operative associations or "industrial and economic cooperatives," which led the growth and development of the Slovene community, were subject to a special regime under the Austrian legislation. The archival collection of the Commercial and Maritime court, which is in the State Archives of Trieste, includes the co-operatives' registration documents and the entire "Register of cooperatives." Immediately after the armistice of 1918, the Italian administration maintained the same competences as the preceding Austrian administration. Following the legislative unification, the associations of the Julian March were integrated into a new legal system. In Italy, associations could be established without any compulsory permits or official takeovers. However, the administrative bodies had a broad discretionary right to dissolve associations. The authoritarian regression led to a 1926 public security law, which subjugated all associations to state control. Thus the archives of the Trieste Prefecture, whose activity involved the surveillance of associations, contain all the relevant archival material in the collection "Cabinet documents." The documents issued by the chief government commissioner (from 1952 onwards) can be a valuable resource for research of Slovene socialising in contemporary Trieste.