Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables
- List of maps
- Preface
- Guide to pronunciation
- 1 The lands of the South Slavs
- 2 The early Slav settlers
- 3 The early Slav kingdoms
- 4 The South Slavs under foreign rule
- 5 The development of independence
- 6 The First World War
- 7 The kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- 8 The kingdom of Yugoslavia
- 9 Yugoslavia and the Second World War
- 10 The transition to socialism
- 11 The beginnings of self-management
- 12 The 1960s – a decade of reform
- 13 Tito's last ten years
- 14 Yugoslavia after Tito
- Bibliography
- Index
6 - The First World War
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 February 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables
- List of maps
- Preface
- Guide to pronunciation
- 1 The lands of the South Slavs
- 2 The early Slav settlers
- 3 The early Slav kingdoms
- 4 The South Slavs under foreign rule
- 5 The development of independence
- 6 The First World War
- 7 The kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- 8 The kingdom of Yugoslavia
- 9 Yugoslavia and the Second World War
- 10 The transition to socialism
- 11 The beginnings of self-management
- 12 The 1960s – a decade of reform
- 13 Tito's last ten years
- 14 Yugoslavia after Tito
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The outcome of the Second Balkan War did much to enhance Serbia's standing in the eyes of the South Slavs within the monarchy, and especially amongst the Serbs in Bosnia–Hercegovina. They began to hope that their liberation from the Austro-Hungarian yoke would not long be delayed and that their deliverance would be achieved with the help of the Serbian army. These hopes were, however, totally unreal. Serbia's resources had been stretched almost to breaking point by the recent wars. The acquisition of Macedonia, Kosovo, Metohija and a part of the sandzak of Novi Pazar almost doubled Serbia's territory and increased its population from 2.9 million to 4.4 million. Most of the new citizens were non-Serb and many were hostile to the new administration. Albanian and pro-Bulgarian elements were receiving encouragement from abroad to continue fighting, and the depleted Serbian army was involved in a pacification campaign against groups of insurgents in the newly occupied territories. The civil administration was preoccupied with the problem of assimilating the former Turkish provinces into the Serbian system of government – a task which had not been completed when the first Yugoslav state came into existence in 1918. In addition there was internal political dissension within Serbia. When war was declared in July 1914 an election campaign was in progress, which had to be called off because of the outbreak of hostilities. In every respect the country was unprepared for war, and there is abundant evidence that the government of Premier Pašić did all it could to prevent it. However, the tide of events was running too strongly in favour of war.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples , pp. 114 - 130Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1985