In July 1917 on the island of Corfu between the leadership of the Yugoslav Committee (the center of the Yugoslav emigration from Austria-Hungary) and the Serbian government negotiations on the future of the South Slavic peoples began, culminating in the signing of a declaration
It proclaimed the inevitability of a unified South Slavic state and the principles of creating after the war a Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, little to unite the South Slavic lands of Austria-Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro. The new state had to be a constitutional, democratic, parliamentary monarchy, headed by the Karadjordjevic dynasty.
The most important step on the way to national liberation of the south Slavic peoples in Austria-Hungary was the creation of the People’s Veche in Zagreb in 1918, a representative body of the Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. The Veche declared itself the only legitimate political representative of the southern Slavic regions of Austria-Hungary.
Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the People’s Veche passed a resolution on the break with Austria-Hungary and proclaimed the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (SRS). The Veche became the supreme authority of the SCS. The transfer of power took place peacefully. But it was formed on the wreckage of the Habsburg Monarchy, and the CHS soon found itself on the verge of failure. Anarchy caused by the war and the revolution reigned in the country, and the leadership of the new state was not able to withdraw from the war, although it declared its neutrality in October: The Entente and the USA continued their military action in the final capitulation of Austria-Hungary, Italian troops seized the coastal areas.
Italian expansion in the Northern Adriatic and the chaotic retreat of Austro-Hungarian forces aggravated the internal political situation in the South Slavic lands-all of which led the People’s Veche to embark on the path of actual unification of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs. The latter had a combat-ready army and a strong state-police apparatus. The unification took place in 1918. The new state was named the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (KST). It included Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vojvodina. On December 20, a government was formed, headed by Serbian S. Protich.
The multinational Kingdom of the CHS was a backward country with underdeveloped industry, most of the population worked in agriculture. The situation was complicated by the fact that the Serbian ruling circles pursued a big-Serbian nationalist policy.
One of the main domestic political tasks of the CHS government was to solve the agrarian question. The landed estates remained, and some land was given to the peasants for ransom.
The Kingdom of the CHS was recognized by the Entente countries and later by all the countries of the Treaty of Versailles. Under the peace treaty, Krajina, Istria, Zadar, and the like were ceded to Italy. In 1920-1921, by a series of bilateral treaties, the Kingdom of the S.S.R. By a series of bilateral treaties, the Kingdom of the CHS, Romania, and Czechoslovakia formed the France-oriented military-political bloc of the Minor Entente.
In 1921, the Constitution (“Vidovansku”) was adopted on the Saint’s Day. The Constitution declared the Serbian-Croatian-Slovenian state as a monarchy with the Karadjordjevic dynasty at its head and established the unitary system of the Kingdom of the SCS and the Serbian predominant position within it. Although the constitution proclaimed and guaranteed the rights and political freedoms of the citizens, the rights of the non-Serbian peoples and national minorities were quite ignored.
The 20’s were characterized by the difficult economic situation and the aggravation of the political and national struggle. The Communist Party agitated for the right of nations to self-determination, up to and including secession, while Croats advocated a federal structure of the state. In the late 20’s, the situation in the country sharply deteriorated as a result of the political crisis.
The ruling circles saw a way out of the situation in the establishment of an authoritarian regime. In 1929 King Alexander performed a coup d’etat: the Constitution was abolished and the Parliament was dissolved. The basis of law and order in the country became the emergency law “On Protection of the State” declared by the King, which prohibited the activities of all political parties. The Kingdom of the CHS became a military-police state. 1929 The Kingdom of CHS was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. However, opposition to the king’s domestic policies forced King Alexander to introduce a new constitution, under which the parliament was kept, but the king had full power.
The world economic crisis hit Yugoslavia later than other countries. Between 1931 and 1933. Industrial production declined, 300,000 people were out of work. The acceleration of economic development in 1935-1937. It was mainly due to the development of defense industry and the construction of new metallurgical, machine building and chemical plants. However, in terms of industrial development and production per capita the country was in the penultimate place in Europe.
The internal political situation in Yugoslavia was characterized by aggravation of social and especially national contradictions. 1939 Croatia achieved autonomy within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
At the beginning of World War II Yugoslavia proclaimed its neutrality. In the same year, the Yugoslav government established diplomatic relations with the USSR. After the Italian attack on Greece in 1940, Yugoslavia found itself in the center of the confrontation for influence in the Balkans between Britain and the fascist states.
Clamped on all sides of the fascist bloc, Yugoslavia in March 1941. It signed a protocol on joining the Berlin Pact. This provoked outrage among the population of the country. Relying on the mass discontent, a group of officers and politicians staged a coup d’etat in March 1941: the government and the Prince Regent were overthrown. Germany decided to invade Yugoslavia. And although in 1941. Soviet-Yugoslav treaty of friendship and non-aggression was signed in Moscow, it was no longer possible to stop Hitler’s aggression.