National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (
On 19 October 1918, the National Council declared itself the supreme body of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. This position was upheld by the
Background
Zagreb Resolution
During the
In 1918, the Yugoslav Club launched an initiative to improve collaboration among political parties representing the South Slavs in
Niš Declaration
Following the outbreak of hostilities,
Role
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was established at the conclusion of a conference of political representatives of South Slavs living in Austria-Hungary held in Zagreb on 5–8 October 1918. Its establishment was devised as a means of fulfilment of the Zagreb Resolution on concentration of South Slavic political forces adopted in March of that year.
On 29 October, the
Unification with Serbia
The National Council and its representatives took part in the process of political unification of South Slavs through establishment of the
Deterioration of security in the countryside and violence associated with the Green Cadres, as well as Italian Army advances following the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the Armistice of Villa Giusti, added urgency to the matter of unification. By 17 November, Italian forces captured Rijeka and were advancing through Carniola, reaching the vicinity of Ljubljana—with the aim of enforcing the Treaty of London which promised Italy territorial gains in return for participation in the war against Austria-Hungary. In response, the National Council appealed to Serbia seeking protection against Italy.[18] On 24 November, the National Council designated a delegation to contact governments of Serbia and the Kingdom of Montenegro as well as other political parties in the two countries regarding unification in accordance with a set of conditions. The National Council defined the conditions as Instructions to its delegation. The envoys travelled to Serbia's capital, Belgrade on 1 December where they met with Prince Regent Alexander of Serbia. At the meeting, the delegation of the National Council ignored the Instructions and expressed their desire for unification stating no specific conditions. In response, Alexander granted their expressed wish and proclaimed unification of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes that day.[19]
On 3 December, the delegation of the National Council declared the core work of the council completed, although stating it would continue administrative tasks for a while. The council disbanded its non-central bodies,[20] but continued its administative work in Zagreb until at least January 1919.[21] The National Council decided to nominate all its members to the Temporary National Representation as the legislative body of the new state. However, the list of its representatives was drawn up by National Council member and new government minister Albert Kramer without input from relevant political parties, on authorisation by the regent.[22]
Zagreb protest
Shortly after proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, there was a protest of soldiers in Zagreb suppressed by forces organised and led by the National Council.[23] In the aftermath of the events the National Council disbanded the Zagreb-based 25th Regiment of the Royal Croatian Home Guard and the 53rd Regiment of the former Austro-Hungarian Common Army of the on the evening of 5 December.[24] Furthermore, the council cited the clash and the Lipošćak affair as grounds to restrict the inclusion of Croatian officers who previously served in the Austro-Hungarian armed forces in army of the new unified state as unreliable.[25]
Members
According to the Rules of the National Council, the body consisted of 95 voting members drawn from political parties and other organisations.[26] In practice, the National Council had fewer members.[27] Namely, the National Council originally intended to include 18 representatives from the regions of Međimurje, Baranya, Bačka, Banat, and Prekmurje, but those seats were left largely vacant.[28] The members were meant to be territorially diverse, to ensure proportional representation of various territories of Austria-Hungary inhabited by South Slavs. The quorum required for valid decision making by a plenary session of the National Council was one-third of the voting members. The plenum was expected to adopt its decisions by majority of two-thirds of the members present.[26]
The plenum was required to elect up to 30 members of the National Council's central committee (and their deputies) among themselves, and two-thirds majority of the central committee had the possibility of co-option of another ten members. The central committee required quorum of more than a half of its members. It was to make decisions by two-thirds majority as well, i.e. decisions could be made by 13 members in case of the minimum quorum meeting. The central committee was to convene the plenum once every three months or if requested to do so by 15 members of the National Council.[26] The presidency of the National Council and its central committee consisted of president Korošec, vice-presidents Pribičević and Ante Pavelić. The presidency also included three secretaries: Mate Drinković, Srđan Budisavljević, and Ivan Lorković.[29] The central committee turned over the executive powers to the presidency, deeming it the government of the National Council on 28 October 1918.[13]
Members of the Imperial Council, Croatian Sabor, and diets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Istria, and Dalmatia, and members of provinical legislatures of Carniola, Styria, Carinthia, and Gorizia and Gradisca not appointed to the National Council as its voting members were allowed to attend its meetings as observers. All observers were required to comply with the Rules of the National Council.[26]
References
- ^ a b Headlam 1911, pp. 2–39.
- ^ Pavlowitch 2003, p. 32.
- ^ Matijević 2008, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Boban 1993, p. 187.
- ^ Matijević 2008, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Pavlowitch 2003, p. 29.
- ^ Ramet 2006, p. 37.
- ^ Ramet 2006, p. 40.
- ^ Lampe 2000, pp. 102–103.
- ^ Boban 1993, pp. 187–189.
- ^ Ramet 2006, pp. 42–43.
- ^ Boban 1993, pp. 191–192.
- ^ a b Boban 1993, p. 193.
- ^ Matijević 2008, p. 50.
- ^ Boban 1993, p. 195.
- ^ Banac 1984, pp. 134–135.
- ^ Pavlowitch 2014, p. 223.
- ^ Ramet 2006, pp. 43.
- ^ Boban 1993, pp. 196–198.
- ^ Matijević 2008, p. 66.
- ^ Štambuk-Škalić & Matijević 2008, p. 596.
- ^ Ramet 2006, pp. 46.
- ^ Ramet 2006, pp. 49.
- ^ Newman 2015, p. 132.
- ^ Zorko 2003, p. 900.
- ^ a b c d Boban 1993, pp. 188–189.
- ^ a b Štambuk-Škalić & Matijević 2008, pp. 86–89.
- ^ Štambuk-Škalić & Matijević 2008, pp. 73–75.
- ^ Štambuk-Škalić & Matijević 2008, p. 92.
- ^ Šišić 1920, pp. 171–174.
- ^ Štambuk-Škalić & Matijević 2008, pp. 89–92.
Sources
- ISBN 0-8014-1675-2.
- ISSN 0353-295X.
- Headlam, James Wycliffe (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. . In
- ISBN 0-521-77357-1.
- Matijević, Zlatko (2008). "Narodno vijeće Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba u Zagrebu: Osnutak, djelovanje i nestanak (1918/1919)" [National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in Zagreb: Founding, Actions and Disappearance (1918/1919)]. Fontes: Izvori Za Hrvatsku Povijest (in Croatian). 14 (1). Zagreb: ISSN 1330-6804.
- Newman, John Paul (2015). Yugoslavia in the Shadow of War: Veterans and the Limits of State Building, 1903–1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107070769.
- Pavlowitch, Kosta St. (2003). "The First World War and Unification of Yugoslavia". In ISBN 1-85065-663-0.
- ISBN 9781317900177.
- ISBN 978-0-253-34656-8.
- OCLC 504490993.
- Štambuk-Škalić, Marina; Matijević, Zlatko, eds. (2008). "Narodno vijeće Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba u Zagrebu 1918–1919. (izabrani dokumenti)" [National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in Zagreb 1918–1919 (Selected Documents)]. Fontes: Izvori Za Hrvatsku Povijest (in Croatian). 14 (1). Zagreb: ISSN 1330-6804.
- Zorko, Tomislav (2003). "Afera Lipošćak" [The Lipošćak Affair]. Časopis za suvremenu povijest (in Croatian). 35 (3). Zagreb: Croatian Institute of History: 887–902. ISSN 0590-9597.