YUGOSLAV INTEGRATION AND MACEDONIA(1918– 1939)

Bíró, László (2015) YUGOSLAV INTEGRATION AND MACEDONIA(1918– 1939). In: БАЛКАНОТ: ЛУЃЕ, ВОЈНИ И МИР. Institut za Nacionalna Istorija, Skopje, pp. 523-537.

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Abstract

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes had to face a huge challenge: integrating the different part s, regions and systems and organising them into a unified country. Among th e different areas of the new state, compared to each other, some were very poor while others somewhat more prosperous. The unification of instituti ons and systems was successful, but the socio-economic differences were not successfully reduced. Macedonia remained one of the most underdeveloped areas of Yugoslavia. Macedonia’s situation was determined mainly by the fact that th e region was annexed to Serbia after the Balkan Wars. The region constituted a r eal borderland, surrounded by countries with territorial claims and active pr opaganda. During the entire period between the wars, this region was not represented by local politicians in the parliament, and locals were hardly appointed for higher positions in the public administration in spite of the developmen t. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia failed to acquire a unified national identity; neith er the one nation with three names and tribes nor the “integral” Yugoslavism after 1929 managed to imbue the masses of people with such an identity. The national identity remained unattained, as loyalty towards Yugoslavia did not strengthen. The Serbs wanted the inhabitants of Macedonia to assimilate the Serbian national consciousness. But they did not have the facilities to develop culture in the region and attract the local population. Macedonians simply did not want to acquire the Serbian national consciousness.

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