Central National Committee (Chetniks)

Central National Committee of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Централни Национални Комитет Краљевине Југославије
History
Founded August or September 1941
Disbanded April 1945
Preceded by Dragiša Vasić
Leadership
vicepresident
Mustafa Mulalić (since beginning of 1943)
secretary of the Executive Board
Đura Đurović
Motto
For Democracy, Against All Dictatorships

The Central National Committee of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia[1] known also by its Yugoslav abbreviation CNK (Serbian: Централни Национални Комитет Краљевине Југославије)[2] was an advisory body of the Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (commonly known as the Chetniks) established during the WWII in August 1941 by the group of political representatives of all prewar opposition parties.


Background

After the short April War in 1941 Axis forces swiftly ocuppied and desintegrated Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A small group of Yugoslav officers led by Draža Mihailović did not accept capitulation of the Yugoslav Army and organized resistance and their headquarter on Ravna Gora. As soon as the news about this resistance movement reached Belgrade, many intellectuals and members of numerous non-communist political parties supported it.[3] This group of people in Belgrade became a nucleus of CNK which coordinated their activities with rebel headquarter on Ravna Gora.[3]

Establishment

The CNC was established in the end of August 1941 as consultative body.[4] According to some sources, the CNK was established in September 1941.[5]

The Chetniks (Yugoslav Army in Homeland) established the Mountain Staff No. 1 and Central National Committee, making ideological substance of the Chetnk movement - For Democracy, Against All Dictatorships - their aim of the war.[6] The CNK was composed of the political representatives of all prewar opposition parties.[6]

The members of its Executive Board were Dragiša Vasić, Mladen Mlađa Žujović and Stevan Moljević.[7] After some time regional committees were established in Montenegro (Serbian: Комитет црногорских националиста) and in Split (Serbian: Српски национални комитет) which were not directly subordinated to the CNK although they supported Mihajlović.[8]

Activities

The CNK did not have particular importance.[9] For the first two years only its Executive Board was active.[4] At the beginning of 1943 the CNC was expanded and joined by Aleksandar Aksentijević, Đuro Đurović, Mustafa Mulalić and Đuro Vilović.[10]


The CNK began with resistance to Axis occupying forces immediatelly after it was established.[11]

Photo of Đura Đurović, secretary of the Executive Board of CNK and editor of its official organ "Glas Jugoslavije"

According to the decisions of the Conference in the village Ba, the CNK was designated to acquire political responsibility and cooperation with Allies until liberation from Fascists and Communists and also with the government of the future Yugoslav Federation composed of three federal units, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.[12] The vicepresident of CNK was Mustafa Mulalić who hoped to collect all Muslim sympatizers of the Yugoslav Federation as projected by the Chetniks.[13]

The official organ of the CNK was Glas Yugoslavije, initiated on 10 July 1944.[14] It was edited by the Executive Board of the CNK, mainly by dr. Đura Đurović who was board's secretary in period between June and September[15] 1944.[14]

Final days

Facing the entrance of pro-Partisan Communist Red Army troops into Axis occupied Yugoslavia the CNK reached decision to follow advices received from the USA to gather their forces in Banja Luka and wait for invasion of Allied forces on Dalmatian coast and their infiltration into Bosnia and other parts of Yugoslavia. On 21 February 1945 Pavle Đurišić organized a conference and concluded that they should retreat to Slovenia until more favorable political situation for their national cause is reached, inviting Mihailović and CNK to follow their conclusions.[16] In the absence of the reply from Mihailović on 1 March 1945 Đurišić organized new broader conference of the "National Committee of Higher Military Commanders and Intellectuals from Montenegro, Boka and Old Ras" with the same conclusions.[16] Mihailović and CNK rejected decisions of this conference and condemned Đurišić.[17]

Some members of the CNK, including its president Dragiša Vasić, joined Đurišić and began their journey toward Slovenia, contrary to the decisions of Mihailović. After the Battle of Lijevče Field they were all captured and together with Đurišić and other captured Chetnik officers taken to Jasenovac death camp where they were all killed in April 1945.[18]

Consequences

Many authors emphasize that Stevan Moljević and his work Homogeneous Serbia had crucialy important role in preparation of a coherent set of Chetnik war objectives with establishment of the Greater Serbia as one of the most important Chetnik war objectives. John R. Lampe pointed to secondary status of the Central National Committee and Moljević rising to prominence in this committee only in 1943, as significant details that undercut the perception about Moljević's "Homogeneous Serbia" being the centerpiece of coherent set of Chetnik war objectives.[19]

References

  1. ↑ Lees 2007, p. 183.
  2. ↑ Papadopolos 1974, p. 649: "„Veliki narodni kongres" odlučio je da se Centralni nacionalni komitet Kraljevine Jugoslavije proširi i da se pristupi ..."
  3. 1 2 Čubrilović 1974, p. 522.
  4. 1 2 Matić & Vesović 1995, p. 20.
  5. ↑ Latas & Dželebdžić 1979, p. 43: "По неким верзијама, до формирања овог комитета дошло је срединой августа, а по некима, у септембру 1941."
  6. 1 2 Congress, United States. (1989). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 5901.
  7. ↑ Vučković & Krstić 2001, p. 15.
  8. ↑ Recueil des travaux du Musée national. Muzej. 2007. p. 151.
  9. ↑ Milićević 2009, p. 66:" Додуше, постојао је, мада без већег значаја, Централни национални комитет као политичко тело још од августа 1941. године.
  10. ↑ Minić 1993, p. 191.
  11. ↑ Марковић 1998, p. 110:"Убрзо је Централни национални комитет, као политички одбор четничког покрета, у Београду почео са активностима на пружању отпора њемачком окупатору."
  12. ↑ Roberts, Valter (13 December 2013). "Черчилов избор – Броз!". Večernje Novosti. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  13. ↑ Djela. Akademija. 1987. p. 130. Potpredsjednik Centralnog nacionalnog, komiteta ravnogorskog pokreta Mustafa Mulalić još je gajio nadu da bi među ...
  14. 1 2 Matić & Vesović 1995, p. 73.
  15. ↑ Buchenau 2004, p. 77.
  16. 1 2 Pajović, Željeznov & Božović 1987, p. 91.
  17. ↑ Kovačević 1993, p. 81: " ... извијестио да Врховна команда и Централни национални комитет не прихватају и осуђују самозвану Ђуришићеву ..."
  18. ↑ Čengić 1985, p. 183.
  19. ↑ Lampe 2000, p. 206.

Sources

  • Lees, Lorraine M. (2007). Yugoslav-Americans and National Security During World War II. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03210-3.
  • Matić, Milan B.; Vesović, Milan (1995). Ravnogorska ideja u štampi i propagandi četničkog pokreta u Srbiji 1941-1944. ISI.
  • Papadopolos, Dušan (1974). AVNOJ i narodnooslobodilačka borba u Bosni i Hercegovini: 1942-1943 : materijali sa naučnog skupa održanog u Sarajevu 22. i 23. novembra 1973. godine. Rad.
  • Latas, Branko; Dželebdžić, Milovan (1979). Četnički pokret Draže Mihailovića 1941-1945. Beogradski izdavačko-grafički zavod.
  • Vučković, Zvonimir; Krstić, Uglješa (2001). Ravnogorska istorijska čitanka: povest nacionalnog pokreta otpora u II svetskom ratu kroz dela učesnika i svedoka : jubilarno izdanje povodom šezdesetgodišnjice, 1941-2001. Bajat.
  • Марковић, Василије (1998). Театри окупиране престонице, 1941-1944. Завод за уџбенике и наставна средства. ISBN 978-86-17-06369-4.
  • Milićević, Nataša (2009). Југословенска власт и српско грађанство: 1944-1950. Институт за Новију Историју Србије. ISBN 978-86-7005-070-9.
  • Lampe, John R. (28 March 2000). Yugoslavia as History: Twice There Was a Country. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-77401-7.
  • Buchenau, Klaus (2004). Orthodoxie und Katholizismus in Jugoslawien 1945-1991: ein serbisch-kroatischer Vergleich. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-04847-7.
  • Čubrilović, Vasa (1974). Istorija Beograda.
  • Kovačević, Branislav (1993). Od vezirovog do zidanog mosta: tragična sudbina crnogorskih četnika u završnoj fazi rata : 1944-1945. Službeni list SRJ.
  • Pajović, Radoje; Željeznov, Dušan; Božović, Branislav (1987). Pavle Đurišić, Lovro Hacin, Juraj Špiler. Centar za informacije i publicitet. ISBN 978-86-7125-006-1.
  • Čengić, Enes (1985). S Krležom iz dana u dan: Balade o životu koji teče. Globus.
  • Minić, Miloš (1993). Oslobodilački ili građanski rat u Jugoslaviji 1941-1945. Agencija "Mir".
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