Balkan Anschluss : the annexation of Montenegro and the creation of the common South Slavic state / Srdja Pavlović.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pavlovic, Srdja, 1961-

Series:

Central European studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Montenegro--History.

Montenegro.

History.

Physical Description:

215 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

West Lafayette, Ind. : Purdue University Press, [2008]

Summary:

Balkan Anschluss tackles the thorny issue of the disappearance of Montenegro as a sovereign state in the course of and as a result of the WWI - a problem with clear contemporary relevance. In particular, Pavlovic investigates the ambiguous and often troubled relationship between two "Serb states," Montenegro with its ruling house of Petrovic-Njegos and Serbia with its ruling house of Karadjordjevic. At the same time the book addresses the equally challenging question of Montenegrin national identity.

The author examines in considerable detail the politics and power plays of numerous actors - Serbs, Montenegrins, and others. The author analyzes the activities of the Podgorica Assembly of November 1919, which proclaimed the union of Montenegro with Serbia in a greater Yugoslav polity. The author assesses the roles played by the various Great Powers during the WWI and the Paris Peace Conference that followed. Pavlovic concludes that Montenegro was not so much "liberated" as it was "annexed" by Serbia at the end of World War I (the result of careful calculation on the part of certain Serbian leaders, including Prime Minister Nikola Pasic) - and that the people of Montenegro were denied an opportunity to exercise self-determination according to internationally recognized norms. Indeed, the world community - i.e., the Great Powers at Paris - turned a blind eye to Montenegro.

Contents:

Tribal or National Consciousness? 5

The Writings on the Podgorica Assembly: The Magic Circle of Historiography 13

Chapter 1 Historical Background: Poets and Warriors 29

Independent Montenegro: The History of an Idea 48

Chapter 2 Montenegro during World War I: Saving the Dynasty or Saving Serbdom? 65

The Montenegrin Treaty with Serbia: Generals without an Army 68

The Role of the Serbian Envoy in Montenegro 72

The Capitulation of Montenegro 75

Chapter 3 The King in Exile 87

Montenegro, the Great Powers, and the Paris Peace Conference 94

Montenegro and Italy 95

"God Is High Above Us and Russia Is Far Away" 97

France and Montenegro 98

The Lion and the Eagle 106

The United States and the Montenegrin Question 109

The Politics of the Fait Accompli 111

Chapter 4 The Montenegrin Committee for Unification 119

Program and Proclamation 121

Diplomatic Activities 122

The Newsletter Ujedinjenje and the Battle of Spilled Ink 123

The Montenegrin Committee and the Allied Subsidies to King Nikola 127

Activities among the Montenegrin Students 128

The Issue of the Prisoners of War 130

The King Strikes Back 132

Preaching to the Choir: Toward Annexation 138

Chapter 5 The Preparation for the Great People's Assembly in Podgorica 145

The Activities in Montenegro: United We Stand! 147

God's Messengers 154

Winter of Discontent: The Christmas Uprising 163

Conclusion: Abiit ad Plures: The New State Is Born 175

Montenegro: Polity in Turmoil 176.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [189]-206) and index.

ISBN:

9781557534651

1557534659

OCLC:

184982559