Kingdom of Yugoslavia
North Macedonia, 1918–1945. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. The regions of Kosovo and what is today North Macedonia had become parts of Serbia prior to the unification. In April 1941, the country was occupied and partitioned by the Axis powers.
Seat of power: Belgrade
Rulers
Milenko Radomar Vesnić
Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, 1920–1921
Milenko Vesnić was a Serbian politician, diplomat, cabinet member and prime minister. In 1920 Vesnić became Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and during his office, he signed the Rapallo Treaty with Italy. During his second government, from 1920 to 1921, Vesnić retained the portfolio of Foreign Minister as well.
Portrait of Milenko Radomar Vesnić: Not stated, Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, file
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
King of Yugoslavia, 1921–1934
In 1918, Alexander oversaw the unification of Serbia and the former Austro-Hungarian provinces of Croatia-Slavonia, Slovenia, Vojvodina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Dalmatia into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, in accordance with the Corfu Declaration. He was King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 16 August 1921 to 3 October 1929 and King of Yugoslavia from 3 October 1929 until his assassination. In 1934, the king was assassinated in Marseille by Vlado Chernozemski, a member of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), during his visit to France.
Portrait of Alexander I of Yugoslavia: http://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA:Djordjes, Public domain, file
Peter II of Yugoslavia
King of Yugoslavia, 1934–1945
Peter II was the last King of Yugoslavia, reigning from October 1934 until he was deposed in November 1945. He acceded to the Yugoslav throne in 1934 at the age of 11 after his father was assassinated during a state visit to Marseille, and a regency was set up under his cousin Prince Paul. Axis forces invaded Yugoslavia and quickly overran the country, forcing the king and his ministers into exile in the United Kingdom.
Portrait of Peter II of Yugoslavia: Непознат, CC BY 3.0 rs, file
Culture
- Three-quarters of the Yugoslav workforce was engaged in agriculture. A few commercial farmers existed, but most were subsistence peasants.
- By the German retreat from the city in November 1944, explosives were placed on the bridge by Nazis. Upon a request from city notables, the Germans gave up at the last minute and the bridge was saved from destruction.
Picture
The Stone Bridge is a bridge across the Vardar River in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, built by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.
Image: Делфина, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.