Yugoslav irredentism is the idea of uniting all South Slavic territories and their population, which would include the territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Montenegro , Serbia , Kosovo, Slovenia and Vardar Macedonia , as well as the territories that Yugoslavia claimed, but which were not included in its composition : Bulgaria , Thracian and Aegean Macedonia and some other territories. Supporters of Yugoslav irredentism included both adherents of the monarchist system and supporters of the republic [1] .
History
Since the foundation of Yugoslavia in 1918, some politicians have come up with the idea of including all South Slavic lands in Yugoslavia. The pioneer of Yugoslav irredentism was then Svetozar Pribichevich , who wanted to include land from Sochi to Thessaloniki into the country's composition [2] . The government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the interwar years was looking for opportunities to conclude an alliance with Bulgaria with its subsequent inclusion in Yugoslavia [3] . Supporters divided into two camps: Republicans proposed the inclusion of Bulgaria as an autonomous republic, and supporters of the monarchy proposed the introduction of a constitutional monarchy in the country [4] .
In Bulgaria there was also a militarized organization “ Link ”, whose members supported the idea of creating Yugoslavia, but proposed moving its capital to the east and including Albania in the lands of Yugoslavia [5] . In 1934, “Link” organized a coup in the country and came to power: supporters of the coup announced the conclusion of a military alliance with France and the search for options for creating a Single Yugoslavia with a center in Bulgaria [6] . In January 1935, however, the regime was overthrown, and the Link initiative failed.
In 1940, Milan Nedic initiated the accession to the Axis countries, hoping for help in joining Thessaloniki and all of Aegean Macedonia to the lands of Yugoslavia [7] . During the Second World War, the British government spoke in favor of the post-war formation of Great Yugoslavia, despite objections and protests from Bulgaria. In May 1941, an official statement was signed by Dr. Malcolm Barr and sent it to the Bulgarians [8] .
After the war, Second Yugoslavia, known as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was formed . During the reign of Josip Broz Tito , the goal was to create an integral Yugoslavia, which would include, in addition to the borders of Yugoslavia, Aegean Macedonia, Albania , Bulgaria and at least part or all of Austrian Carinthia , as well as the entire Italian province of Friuli-Venice -Giulia , where Yugoslavia for some time in November 1943 managed to gain a foothold [9] . In the postwar years, Tito made territorial claims against Austria and demanded the transfer of Carinthia to Yugoslavia (namely, annexation to Slovenia). He said:
We liberated Carinthia, but the conditions presented by the international community were such that we had to leave it immediately. Carinthia belongs to us, and we will fight for it [10] .
Another project of Great Yugoslavia was the Balkan Federal Republic , which was never created due to disagreements between the leaders of the Balkan states.
Notes
- ↑ Near East and India , Volume 44. University of Minnesota, 1935. Pp. 4 and 149.
- ↑ Ivo Banač. The national question in Yugoslavia: origins, history, politics . Cornell University Press, 1984. Pp. 128.
- ↑ Cecil Frank Melville. Balkan racket: the inside story of the political gangster plot which destroyed Yugoslavia and drove Britain out of the Balkans. Jarrold, 1941. Pp. 61.
- ↑ Near East and India , Volume 44. University of Minnesota, 1935. Pp. 149.
- ↑ Plamen S. T︠S︡vetkov. A history of the Balkans: a regional overview from a Bulgarian perspective . EM Text, 1993. Pp. 195.
- ↑ Khristo Angelov Khristov. Bulgaria, 1300 years . Sofia, Bulgaria: Sofia Press, 1980. Pp. 192.
- ↑ John R. Lampe. Yugoslavia As History: Twice There Was a Country . Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Pp. 199.
- ↑ Dimitris Livanios. The Macedonian question: Britain and the southern Balkans: 1939-1949 . Oxford, England, UK: Oxford University Press, 2008 Pp. 103.
- ↑ Sabrina P. Ramet. The three Yugoslavias: state-building and legitimation, 1918-2005. Bloomington, Indiana, USA: Indiana University Press, 2006. Pp. 172.
- ↑ Sabrina P. Ramet. The three Yugoslavias: state-building and legitimation, 1918-2005. Bloomington, Indiana, USA: Indiana University Press, 2006. Pp. 172-173.
See also
- Greater Bulgaria (politics)
- Great Croatia
- Pan-Germanism
- Yugoslavism
- Great serbia
- Great Albania
- Great Macedonia
- United Slovenia