Pan-Slavism

Contemporary map of the Slavic speaking countries of Europe. South Slavs appear in dark green, East Slavs in green, and West Slavs in light green.

Pan-Slavism, a movement that took shape in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with promoting integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had ruled the South Slavs for centuries. These were mainly the Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice.