Banat, Bačka and Baranja


Banat, Bačka, and Baranya was a province of the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes between 1918 and 1922. It included the geographical regions of Banat, Bačka, and Baranya. Its administrative center was Novi Sad. From November 1918 to February 1919 it was administered by provincial bodies, and later by provincial branches of the state administration. In time, its initial territorial jurisdiction was reduced to Yugoslav parts of those regions, while eastern portions of Banat were ceded to the Kingdom of Romania, and northern parts of Bačka and Baranya to the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, former Yugoslav parts of Banat and Bačka belong to Serbia, while the former Yugoslav part of Baranya belongs to Croatia.

Name

The official name of the province was Banat, Bačka, and Baranya, but it was also unofficially known as Vojvodina.

History

Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary in October and November 1918, the regions of Banat, Bačka, and Baranya came under control of the Serbian army, under the Armistice of Belgrade. They entered Novi Sad on 9 November, and also dismantled the self-proclaimed Banat Republic on 15 November. The local ethnic Serb population from these regions had already formed its own administration under the supreme authority of the Serb National Board in Novi Sad.
On November 25, 1918, the Great National Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci, and other Slavs from Banat, Bačka and Baranya, voted that these regions join to the Kingdom of Serbia. The assembly numbered 757 deputies, of whom 578 were Serbs, 84 Bunjevci, 62 Slovaks, 21 Rusyns, 6 Germans, 3 Šokci, 2 Croats, and 1 Hungarian.
The Great People's Assembly decided to join Banat, Bačka, and Baranya to Serbia, and formed a new local administration in these regions known as the People's Administration for Banat, Bačka, and Baranya. The president of the People's Administration was Jovan Lalošević. The People's Council was formed as the legislative body of the province.
On December 1, the Kingdom of Serbia together with the State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs formed a new country named Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.
The government in Belgrade accepted the decision that Banat, Bačka and Baranya had joined Serbia, but the initial provincial administrative bodies were not kept for long. The People's Administration for Banat, Bačka, and Baranya was active until March 11, 1919, when it held its last session.
Before the peace conference defined the exact borders of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the People's Administration for Banat, Bačka and Baranya also administered parts of Banat, Bačka, and Baranya that today belong to Romania and Hungary.
After the Paris peace conference, adminisitrative provincial branches for Banat, Bačka, and Baranya province remained operational until the Vidovdan Constitution of 1921 which established the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes as a unitary state and replaced in 1922 the 8 provinces by 33 newly formed administrative oblasts ruled from the center.

Population

The population of Banat, Bačka, and Baranya was 1,365,596, including 29.1% Serbs, 27.71% Hungarians, 23.10% Germans, and others. Serbs and Croats together comprised 36.80% of population of the region.

Institutions

The legislative body of the province was known as the Great People's Council, while executive body was known as the People's Administration. The Great People's Council consisted of 50 members, which included 35 Serbs, 8 Bunjevci, 5 Slovaks, 1 Krashovan, and 1 Uniate priest.
The People's Administration included following sections:
  • Political affairs
  • Internal affairs
  • Jurisdiction
  • Education
  • Finances
  • Traffic
  • Economy
  • Food and supplies
  • Social reforms
  • People's Health
  • People's Defence

Administrators

  • Jovan Lalošević, president of the People's Administration, people's commissioner for political affairs, and temporary people's commissioner for education
  • Petar Konjović, vice-president of the People's Administration
  • Jovan Hranilović, temporary president of the Great People's Council
  • Slavko Miletić, president of the Great People's Council
  • Jovan Latinčić, vice-president of the Great People's Council
  • Ignjat Pavlas, people's commissioner for internal affairs
  • August Rat, people's commissioner for jurisdiction
  • Vladislav Manojlović, people's commissioner for finances
  • Stevan Slavnić, people's commissioner for traffic
  • Mita Klicin, people's commissioner for economy
  • Kosta Popović, people's commissioner for food and supplies
  • Dušan Tušanović, people's commissioner for social reforms
  • Laza Marković, people's commissioner for people's health
  • Dušan Popov, people's commissioner for people's defense