SLOBODAN JOVANOVIĆ I 27. MART 1941.
SLOBODAN JOVANOVIĆ AND THE EVENTS OF 27 MARCH, 1941

Summary/Abstract: There are many contradictory views regarding the military coup d ’etat carried out in Belgrade on 27 March, 1941, from those convinced that it was motivated solely by patriotic feelings, to those claiming that the overthrow came as a result of foreign instigation. Among the theories concerning the parts played in this event by particular people, the connection of Slobodan Jovanović to this historic episode remains unclear to this day. Historiography and journalism offer a wide spectrum of views regarding the possible direct involvement of this respectable university professor, historian and politician, who in 1939 became president of the Serbian Culture club, in the preparation and execution of the coup d ’etat on 27 March. Written documents exist testifying that S. Jovanović headed the secret organization »Conspiracy« in 1938, after which other similar organizations were formed, especially in the army. The author of this article attempts to answer the question of Jovanović’s possible involvement in the events revolving around the coup d ’etat by analyzing accessible material and by presenting controversial views found in historiography and journalism. The opinions of S. Jovanović himself regarding 27 March, which he gave on various occasions, are also presented. Regardless of the fact that S. Jovanovic became vice-president of the government instituted after the overthrow, the writer of proclamations for King Petar II and that he openly supported the cause of the coup, it is still impossible to assert without a doubt that he was directly involved in these events. Opinions concerning his involvement remain reconciled. This work is an attempt to analytically rationalize a historical enigma connected to a significant period in Yugoslavia’s past, the period immediately preceding the country’s breakdown in 1941.

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