This article is about the specific polity Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that was established when Serbia united with the newly created State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. The official name of the state was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I on 3 October 1929.
Summary
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed in 1918 after the end of World War I. It brought together several previously disparate regions including the independent Kingdom of Serbia, the Kingdom of Montenegro, Croatia-Slavonia (formerly under Hungarian rule), Vojvodina, the Slovene lands, Dalmatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The new state was highly diverse, with around 74% of the 12 million inhabitants speaking Serbo-Croatian, 8.5% speaking Slovene, and several other languages represented. Religiously, 46% were Eastern Orthodox, 39% Roman Catholic, and over 11% Muslim. Economically, 80% of the population was engaged in agriculture, with only three towns having populations over 100,000.
Political life in the new kingdom was turbulent. The conservative Serbian Radical party was the strongest single party, representing the old Serbian landowning class and emerging urban professionals. The more liberal Democratic party also appealed to the urban middle class. Meanwhile, the Croatian Peasant party under Stephen Radic advocated for a federated, republican state. Smaller socialist and communist parties also gained support among workers and peasants.
Border disputes with neighboring states were resolved by 1924, but internal tensions between the Serbs, Croats, and others remained high. The Serbian-dominated government under Nikola Pasic pursued a "Greater Serbia" policy that alienated the Slovenes and Croats. Radic's Peasant party was repressed, and his assassination in 1928 further inflamed tensions. By 1929, the parliamentary system had broken down, and King Alexander dissolved the parliament, abolished the constitution, and assumed direct rule.
Establishment
December 1918: Thirty-three days after it was proclaimed, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs joined the Kingdom of Serbia to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
December 1918: Serbia united with the newly created State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs to form a new southern Slav state, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was a global conflict between two coalitions, the Allies (primarily France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States) and the Central Powers (led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire). It was mainly caused by the competition of the western countries over domain in Europe and in the rest of the world with their colonial empires. The war ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war also caused the Russian Revolution and the ensuing Russian Civil War.
1.1.Aftermath of World War I
Were a series of treaties and military events that can be considered a direct consequence of World War I.
May 1919: The Republic of Prekmurje was an unrecognized state in Prekmurje, an area traditionally known in Hungarian as Vendvidék ("Wendic March").
June 1919: Prekmurje was incorporated into the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
June 1919: On June 21, 1919, the Banat region was divided between Romania, Serbia and Hungary.
1.1.1.Aftermath of World War I in Yugoslavia
Events that happened shortly after the end of World War I in Yugoslavia.
1.1.2.Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia
Was a military engagement that ensued in the aftermath of World War I between forces loyal to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and later the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and forces loyal to the Republic of German-Austria.
1.1.2.1.Second Yugoslavian Offensive
Was a Yugoslavian offensive against Austrian forces during the Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia.
May 1919: On 2 May Austrian Carinthian units took control of Völkermarkt.
May 1919: The Austrian counter-offensive reached the Gallizien-Apače-Sankt Margareten im Rosental line.
May 1919: Before the Royal Yugoslav Army's 36th infantry regiment under control of Lt.Col. Vladimir Uzorinac managed to hold ground in Guštanj (Gutenstein).
May 1919: The remaining Slovene units continued to retreat back into lower Styria, while almost all of the Carinthian area that was gained during the winter clashes was lost to the advancing Austrian units. The last to fall was Dravograd.
June 1919: The Royal Yugoslav Army's 36th infantry regiment under control of Lt.Col. Vladimir Uzorinac managed to hold ground in Guštanj (Gutenstein).
November 1920: The border in Carinthia was decided through a Plebiscite after the treaty of Saint Germain. Most of the population voted for Austria. The region was placed under Austrian administration on 18 November 1920 and declared part of the sovereign Austrian Republic on November 22.
1.1.2.2.Third Yugoslavian Offensive
Was a Yugoslavian offensive against Austrian forces during the Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia.
June 1919: On May 26 a new Yugoslav offensive was authorised which lasted throughout May and until June 6, during which they managed to capture much of the Klagenfurt region to as north as Maria Saal.
1.1.2.3.First Yugoslavian Offensive
Was a Yugoslavian offensive against Austrian forces during the Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia.
November 1919: Captain Alfred Lavrič's unit (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) was designated to be in charge of capturing Carinthia, and began taking control of the territory on 13 November, when his units entered the Jaun Valley and Ferlach.
November 1919: Captain Rudolf Knez entered Sittersdorf (Žitara vas) and settled his units there.
November 1919: From November 27 onward, the Slovene fighters under direct command of Maister, took control of Spielfeld, Bad Radkersburg, Mureck, Leutschach, Marenberg, and Muta, while the units from Celje under command of Franjo Malgaj took control of the Meža Valley and Bleiburg.
November 1919: Units from Ljubljana took control of Dravograd, Lavamünd and Sankt Paul. The capture of Völkermarkt on November 30 sparked much criticism, as it allegedly wasn't included in the demarcation line plans.
1.1.3.Treaty of St Germain
Was a treaty that settled the dissolution of Austria-Hungary after World War I.
September 1919: After World War I, the southern half of the former Tyrolean crownland up to the Brenner Pass, including predominantly German-speaking South Tyrol and the present-day Trentino province, together with the Carinthian Canal Valley around Tarvisio fell to Italy, as well as the Austrian Littoral (Gorizia and Gradisca, the Imperial Free City of Trieste, and Istria as recognized by the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920).
September 1919: The Treaty of St. Germain established the borders of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
1.1.4.Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine
The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine required Bulgaria to cede various territories, after Bulgaria had been one of the Central Powers defeated in World War I. The treaty was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
November 1919: The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine required Bulgaria to cede various territories, after Bulgaria had been one of the Central Powers defeated in World War I. The treaty was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
On 12 September 1919 Italian nationalist Gabriele d'Annunzio led around 2,600 troops, mostly shell-shocked veterans of the Battles of the Isonzo, to seize the city of Fiume (today Rijeka, Croatia).
September 1919: Italian writer and politician Gabriele d'Annunzio was angered by what he considered to be the handing over of the city of Fiume. On 12 September 1919 he led around 2,600 troops, mostly shell-shocked veterans of the Battles of the Isonzo. They were drawn from the Royal Italian Army (the Granatieri di Sardegna), Italian nationalists and irredentists. This force staged a seizure of the city, forcing the withdrawal of the inter-Allied (American, British and French) occupying forces. Their march from Ronchi dei Legionari to Fiume became known as the Impresa di Fiume.
December 1920: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson intervened to block the Paris agreement. The United States underscored its support for Albania's independence by recognizing an official Albanian representative to Washington, and on December 17, 1920, the League of Nations recognized Albania's sovereignty by admitting it as a full member.
March 1924: The Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes signed the Treaty of Rome (27 January 1924), agreeing to the annexation of Fiume by Italy and the absorption of Sušak by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; this took effect on 16 March.
October 1929: The official name of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I.
Disestablishment
October 1929: The official name of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was changed to "Kingdom of Yugoslavia" by King Alexander I.
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Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
