Serbian–Hungarian Baranya–Baja Republic
Serb-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic Baranya-Bajai Szerb-Magyar Köztársaság Српско-мађарска република Барања-Баја | |||||||||||
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| 1921–1921 | |||||||||||
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Flag | |||||||||||
| Status | Unrecognized state | ||||||||||
| Capital | Pécs | ||||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||||
• Established | August 14 1921 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | August 25 1921 | ||||||||||
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The Serb-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic (Hungarian: Baranya-Bajai Szerb-Magyar Köztársaság, Serbian: Srpsko-mađarska republika Baranja-Baja or Српско-мађарска република Барања-Баја) was a short-lived, Soviet-oriented mini-state, proclaimed in Pécs on August 14, 1921, on occupied Hungarian territory during the peacemaking aftermath of the first World War, tolerated and fostered by the newly-proclaimed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Its territory included the geographical region of Baranya and the northern part of Bačka region.
History
After the military defeat of Austria-Hungary in October 1918, the territory of Baranya came under control of the Serbian army and was administered by a people's administration from Novi Sad. Since the defeat of Béla Kun's Hungarian Soviet Republic in summer 1919, many communist dissidents from Budapest, escaping from the "white terror" of admiral Horthy, emigrated to Baranya, where Béla Linder, mayor of Pécs, gave them refuge.
The peace conference in Paris assigned Baranya to Horthy's Hungary and news about this decision were followed by general strike and mass demonstrations in Pécs against the decision, which culminated in Great People's Assembly on August 14, where in front of 30,000 people painter Petar Dobrović suggested the formation of independent republic that would include region of Baranya and northern part of Bačka around Baja. Since his suggestion was accepted by the people, Petar Dobrović became president of executive committee of the new Republic.
However, the authorities of the new republic did not manage to gain international recognition of their independence, and since the republic was under protection of the Serbian army, after withdrawal of this army from Baranya, Horthy's forces entered into region and put an end to the Republic.
On August 21-25, 1921, the territory claimed by the Republic was divided between Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (the later Yugoslavia; notably the part that today is part of the republic of Croatia and Serbia), as was previously decided by the Treaty of Trianon of 1920.
Population
Most of the inhabitants of the republic were ethnic Hungarians, while other ethnic groups that lived in the area included Serbs, Croats, Šokci, Bunjevci, Germans, Jews, Romanis, Banat Romanians, Germans, Slovaks and others.
President
The President of the Executive Committee (14 - 25 August 1921), i.e. president of the republic, was Petar Dobrović (1890 - 1942), an ethnic Serb.
Sources and references
- Dimitrije Boarov, Politička istorija Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 2001.
- Leslie Charles Tihany, The Baranya dispute, 1918-1921: diplomacy in the vortex of ideologies, East European quarterly, distributed by Columbia University Press (Boulder [Colo.], New York), 1978
See also
- Baranya (region)
- Baranya (former county)
- Baranya (county)
- Osijek-Baranja county
- Srem-Baranja Oblast
- Banat Republic
- Republic of Prekmurje
- Former countries in Europe after 1815
- List of historical unrecognized countries
