Expecting “New Imperialistic War” – Attitudes of the Yugoslav Communists towards the Yugoslav Royal Army 1935-1941 Cover Image

У ишчекивању „новог империјалистичког рата“ ставови југословенских комуниста о војсци Краљевине Југославије 1935–1941.
Expecting “New Imperialistic War” – Attitudes of the Yugoslav Communists towards the Yugoslav Royal Army 1935-1941

Author(s): Dušan Bojković
Subject(s): Military history, Political history, International relations/trade, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), History of Communism
Published by: Institut za strategijska istraživanja
Keywords: Communist Party of Yugoslavia; the army; the Kingdom of Yugoslavia; the USSR; the national front; the military-fascist dictatorship; the Greater Serbian hegemony;

Summary/Abstract: Relation of Communist Party of Yugoslavia towards Yugoslav Army during the interwar period was based primarily on the experience of the Russian Bolsheviks in the October Revolution of 1917. Addressing the soldiers and junior officers, communists were calling for disobedience, uprising against military and state leadership, for making connections with the workers, farmers and, in their own words, “peoples oppressed by the Great Serbian hegemonism”. Furthermore, they called for the fraternizing of soldiers between the opposing armies at the battlefronts in the upcoming war, and for those soldiers’ active part-taking in the defeat of their respective armies, that is their states. Stands of the representatives of the Yugoslav workers’ movement towards high command were in direct relation towards CPY and their relation towards Serbian bourgeoisie, which was seen as the bearer of national hegemony. The greatest part of the military leadership was composed of Serbian officers, who were also members of the former Army of the Kingdom of Serbia, which, by the judgment of the CPY had been expressing imperialist aspirations towards other states in the Balkans. Because of that Party’s leadership was generally restraining itself from cooperation with senior officers. During the period since the mid twenties up until 1939, communists weren’t paying significant attention towards their activity among soldiers and officers. Instigated by the directions from Moscow, Party’s leaders have brought a decision in 1937, about the creation of Party’s organizations within the army and their connection with the Party’s Central Committee. But the result of these actions was expressed not sooner than 1940, with the creation of the Commission for the activity in the army, under The Party’s Central Committee’s jurisdiction. On the eve of the April War in 1941, the leadership of CPY, acted with the purpose of cooperation with the soldiers, strengthening of bonds between peoples of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the defense of its borders.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 177-202
  • Page Count: 26
  • Language: Serbian