Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia[9] was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" (lit. 'Land of the South Slavs') was its colloquial name due to its origins.[10] The official name of the state was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I on 3 October 1929.[10]
This article is about the form of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 1943. For the country as a whole, see Yugoslavia.
YugoslaviaKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
(1918–1929)
Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca
Краљевина Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца
(Serbo-Croatian)
Kraljevina Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev
(Slovene)
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
(1929–1941)
Kraljevina Jugoslavija
(Serbo-Croatian and Slovene)
Краљевина Југославија
(Serbo-Croatian)
(1918–1929)
Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca
Краљевина Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца
(Serbo-Croatian)
Kraljevina Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev
(Slovene)
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
(1929–1941)
Kraljevina Jugoslavija
(Serbo-Croatian and Slovene)
Краљевина Југославија
(Serbo-Croatian)
- Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
(1918–1929, 1931–1939) - Unitary absolute monarchy under royal dictatorship
(1929–1931) - Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
(1939–1941)
Provisional Representation
(1919–1920)
National Assembly[c]
(1920–1941)
Senate
(since 1931)
Chamber of Deputies
(since 1931)
1 December 1918
28 June 1921
6 January 1929
3 September 1931
9 October 1934
25 August 1939
25 March 1941
27 March 1941
6 April 1941
April 1941
7 March 1945
29 November 1945
247,542 km2 (95,577 sq mi)
12,017,323
13,934,000
15,839,364
- Yugoslav krone
(1918–1920) - Yugoslav dinar
(1920–1941)
The preliminary kingdom was formed in 1918 by the merger of the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (itself formed from territories of the former Austria-Hungary, encompassing today's Bosnia and Herzegovina and most of today's Croatia and Slovenia) and Banat, Bačka and Baranja (that had been part of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary) with the formerly independent Kingdom of Serbia. In the same year, the Kingdom of Montenegro also proclaimed its unification with Serbia, whereas the regions of Kosovo and Vardar Macedonia had become parts of Serbia prior to the unification.[11]
The state was ruled by the Serbian dynasty of Karađorđević, which previously ruled the Kingdom of Serbia under Peter I from 1903 (after the May Coup) onward. Peter I became the first king of Yugoslavia until his death in 1921. He was succeeded by his son Alexander I, who had been regent for his father. He was known as "Alexander the Unifier" and he renamed the kingdom "Yugoslavia" in 1929. He was assassinated in Marseille by Vlado Chernozemski, a member of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), during his visit to France in 1934. The crown passed to his 11-year-old son, Peter. Alexander's cousin Paul ruled as Prince regent until 1941, when Peter II came of age.[12] The royal family flew to London the same year, prior to the country being invaded by the Axis powers.
In April 1941, the country was occupied and partitioned by the Axis powers. A royal government-in-exile, recognized by the United Kingdom and, later, by all the Allies, was established in London. In 1944, after pressure from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the King recognized the government of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia as the legitimate government. This was established on 2 November following the signing of the Treaty of Vis by Ivan Šubašić (on behalf of the Kingdom) and Josip Broz Tito (on behalf of the Yugoslav Partisans).[13]