In the paper, the author explains the influence that the concept of cooperative economy by Schulze-Delitsch, the German liberal politician and social reformer, had on the Slovenian Cooperative Movement in its first period, between 1872 and 1895, when it was led by the Liberals. He points out that the application of his cooperative principles in Slovenia represented a rare example of a simultaneous influence of the European Liberalism on the Slovenian liberal social and political camp. This influence had clear repercussions in Slovenian political and economic development. Although the Slovenian Cooperative Movement, unlike Schulze-Delitsch's endeavours, showed no interest in social reform in the period between 1872 and 1895, his ideas were used in creating a material basis for the Slovenian cultural and political emancipation and for the growth of the national economy and capital.