Stevan Moljevic
Encyclopedia
Dr Stevan Moljević was Serbian and Yugoslav
politician, lawyer
and publicist, president of the Yugoslav-French Club, president of the Yugoslav-British Club, president of Rotary International Club
of Yugoslavia and member of the Central National Committee of Yugoslavia in World War II
.
, and then law school, and a doctorate. Even as a high school student, he joined the Serbian youth movement that fought against the Austria-Hungary
and against the annexation of Bosnia 1908. In Banja Luka
was organized by the Society "Falcon" and the association of "Fraternity". As the Serbian intellectual in Bosnia, Austro-Hungarian government it the trial on 1916th for treason in Banja Luka was condemned to prison which he served until the collapse of the Empire.
In 1918 he was the initiator of the unification of Bosnia in the composition of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Dr. Moljević in 1922 founded the Yugoslav-French Club and was club president 17 years. In Banja Luka 1929th he founded the Cultural Association "Zmijanje". Advocated for the build up the monument of Petar Kočić
. The French government awarded him three medals, including the Order of the Legion of Honor, which received the 1937th to mark the 20th anniversary of the Club in Banja Luka. The club was founded and in Prijedor
. He founded the Yugoslav-British Club and was president five years. Dr. Moljević was the founder of Rotary International Club
of Yugoslavia which was also chairman. In the book Dr. Dragoje Todorović "United Serbian cause" states that Moljević was a Freemason and President of the Rotary Club. Upon the creation of the Serbian Cultural Club in Belgrade
, became the president of the this club in Banja Luka and remained in that position until the beginning of a new war.
Serbian historians claim that Moljević had minuscule influence on Serbian political thought and Chetnik ideology: for example, catalogue of the National Library of Serbia
doesn't list any work by him and has a single monography on him, which could be contrasted with an influential ideologue of the time, such as Nikolaj Velimirović (326 works by him, 94 on him) or even a marginally influential, such as Dimitrije Ljotić
(53 works by him, 16 on him). However, some Bosnian and Croatian historians claim that he was a major ideologue of the movement, pointing out that his exposition at the Chetnik St Sava Congress held in January 1944 at the village of Ba, near Gornji Milanovac and Ravna Gora, was adopted as a congress resolution.
On 30 June 1941, Moljević published a booklet with the title On Our State and Its Borders. He proposed a future federal Yugoslav
state composed of three units: Serbia
, Croatia
and Slovenia
. The Serbian unit was to include Bosnia, Mostar
(Herzegovina), parts of Croatia (Metković
, Šibenik
, Zadar
, Ploče
, Dubrovnik
, Karlovac
, Osijek
, Vinkovci
, Vukovar
), as well as Pécs
(Hungary), Timişoara
(Romania), Vidin
and Kyustendil
(Bulgaria), the entire Macedonia and North Albania. The Moljević programme envisaged autonomy or special status for the city of Dubrovnik and surrounding areas and the Croat dominated area of Western Herzegovina, within the structure of the internal Serbian entity.
During trials held in communist Yugoslavia in 1946, Moljević was one of those convicted with war crimes along with Draža Mihailović
. He was implicated as a member of Mihailović's General Staff of having committed treason and war crimes. Moljević was found to be guilty, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He died in jail in Sremska Mitrovica
in 1959.
. Case No. IT-94-1-T. In this trial, the various iterations of plans for a Greater Serbia
were discussed and tendered into evidence. From the hearing in closed session that was released by Trial Chamber II on 13 October 1996 - "In Moljevic's work Homogenous Serbia of 1941, Stevan Moljevic proposed the areas which would be included in greater Serbia outside the borders of Serbia in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World War II." The western borders defined by Moljević were of paramount importance for the prosecutor in this particular case, because they coincided with the borders defined by the JNA during the Yugoslav Wars
, that is, the border on which it established its front line would be Karlobag
, Karlovac
, Virovitica
.
Moljević did not explain how the non-Serb population would be moved out. In his work "Homogenous Serbia", he simply said that the matter had to be solved. It was Milan Nedic
who developed Moljević's program further and titled his work "ethno-graphic problem of Serbia", in which he emphasised that the Muslims constituted a special problem and had detailed quotas by municipality for them. The prosecution tendered this as the basis of an ideological plan that underpinned the treatment of the Bosnian Muslims
that was witnessed in the Bosnian War
.
The union of all Serbs in one state that underlies the Moljevic plan was a prominent theme in Serbian political life of the 1990s. It is noted in the Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
, and was a common point of discussion by prominent nationalists such as Vojislav Šešelj
and Vuk Drašković
.
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
politician, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and publicist, president of the Yugoslav-French Club, president of the Yugoslav-British Club, president of Rotary International Club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
of Yugoslavia and member of the Central National Committee of Yugoslavia in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
He completed elementary school in his hometown and High school in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, and then law school, and a doctorate. Even as a high school student, he joined the Serbian youth movement that fought against the Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and against the annexation of Bosnia 1908. In Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
was organized by the Society "Falcon" and the association of "Fraternity". As the Serbian intellectual in Bosnia, Austro-Hungarian government it the trial on 1916th for treason in Banja Luka was condemned to prison which he served until the collapse of the Empire.
In 1918 he was the initiator of the unification of Bosnia in the composition of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Dr. Moljević in 1922 founded the Yugoslav-French Club and was club president 17 years. In Banja Luka 1929th he founded the Cultural Association "Zmijanje". Advocated for the build up the monument of Petar Kočić
Petar Kocic
Petar Kočić was a Serb prose writer and politician from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was active in the Serbian National Organization with ties to the Mlada Bosna revolutionaries, after which he seceded with his closest supporters leading a wing under his leadership.Like both Borisav Stanković, who...
. The French government awarded him three medals, including the Order of the Legion of Honor, which received the 1937th to mark the 20th anniversary of the Club in Banja Luka. The club was founded and in Prijedor
Prijedor
Prijedor is a city and municipality in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region....
. He founded the Yugoslav-British Club and was president five years. Dr. Moljević was the founder of Rotary International Club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
of Yugoslavia which was also chairman. In the book Dr. Dragoje Todorović "United Serbian cause" states that Moljević was a Freemason and President of the Rotary Club. Upon the creation of the Serbian Cultural Club in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, became the president of the this club in Banja Luka and remained in that position until the beginning of a new war.
Serbian historians claim that Moljević had minuscule influence on Serbian political thought and Chetnik ideology: for example, catalogue of the National Library of Serbia
National Library of Serbia
The National Library of Serbia is the national library of Serbia, located in the city of Belgrade, .-History:...
doesn't list any work by him and has a single monography on him, which could be contrasted with an influential ideologue of the time, such as Nikolaj Velimirović (326 works by him, 94 on him) or even a marginally influential, such as Dimitrije Ljotić
Dimitrije Ljotic
Dimitrije Ljotić was a Serbian politician and Nazi German collaborationist during World War II.Although born in Belgrade he spent most of his life in Smederevo. His ancestors came to Serbia from the village of Blace in what is today Greek Macedonia during the first half of 19th century...
(53 works by him, 16 on him). However, some Bosnian and Croatian historians claim that he was a major ideologue of the movement, pointing out that his exposition at the Chetnik St Sava Congress held in January 1944 at the village of Ba, near Gornji Milanovac and Ravna Gora, was adopted as a congress resolution.
On 30 June 1941, Moljević published a booklet with the title On Our State and Its Borders. He proposed a future federal Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
state composed of three units: Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The Serbian unit was to include Bosnia, Mostar
Mostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
(Herzegovina), parts of Croatia (Metković
Metkovic
Metković is a city in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the border with Herzegovina.-Demographics:...
, Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, Ploče
Ploce
Ploče is a town and a notable seaport in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia.The total population of Ploče is 10,102 , in the following settlements:* Baćina, population 564* Banja, population 176* Komin, population 1,222...
, Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
, Vinkovci
Vinkovci
Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
, Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
), as well as Pécs
Pécs
Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
(Hungary), Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
(Romania), Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
and Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 44 416 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
(Bulgaria), the entire Macedonia and North Albania. The Moljević programme envisaged autonomy or special status for the city of Dubrovnik and surrounding areas and the Croat dominated area of Western Herzegovina, within the structure of the internal Serbian entity.
During trials held in communist Yugoslavia in 1946, Moljević was one of those convicted with war crimes along with Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
. He was implicated as a member of Mihailović's General Staff of having committed treason and war crimes. Moljević was found to be guilty, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He died in jail in Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...
in 1959.
Connection to the Yugoslav Wars
The significance of the Moljević plan is elucidated in the ICTY trial of the Prosecutor v. TadicDuško Tadic
Duško Tadić is a Bosnian Serb war criminal, former SDS leader in Kozarac and a former member of the paramilitary forces supporting the attack on the district of Prijedor...
. Case No. IT-94-1-T. In this trial, the various iterations of plans for a Greater Serbia
Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia applies to the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology directed towards the creation of a Serbian land which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to the Serbian nation...
were discussed and tendered into evidence. From the hearing in closed session that was released by Trial Chamber II on 13 October 1996 - "In Moljevic's work Homogenous Serbia of 1941, Stevan Moljevic proposed the areas which would be included in greater Serbia outside the borders of Serbia in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia before World War II." The western borders defined by Moljević were of paramount importance for the prosecutor in this particular case, because they coincided with the borders defined by the JNA during the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, that is, the border on which it established its front line would be Karlobag
Karlobag
Karlobag is a historic and picturesque seaside municipality on the Adriatic coast in Croatia, located underneath Velebit overlooking the island of Pag, west of Gospić and south of Senj. The Gacka river also runs through the area...
, Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, Virovitica
Virovitica
Virovitica is a Croatian town near the Croatian-Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,663, with 21,327 people in the municipality...
.
Moljević did not explain how the non-Serb population would be moved out. In his work "Homogenous Serbia", he simply said that the matter had to be solved. It was Milan Nedic
Milan Nedic
Milan Nedić was a Serbian general and politician, he was the chief of the general staff of the Yugoslav Army, minister of war in the Royal Yugoslav Government and the prime minister of a Nazi-backed Serbian puppet government during World War II.After the war, Yugoslav communist authorities...
who developed Moljević's program further and titled his work "ethno-graphic problem of Serbia", in which he emphasised that the Muslims constituted a special problem and had detailed quotas by municipality for them. The prosecution tendered this as the basis of an ideological plan that underpinned the treatment of the Bosnian Muslims
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
that was witnessed in the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
.
The union of all Serbs in one state that underlies the Moljevic plan was a prominent theme in Serbian political life of the 1990s. It is noted in the Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts was a draft document produced by a 14-member committee composed by members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1985 to 1986, presided by Kosta Mihailović...
, and was a common point of discussion by prominent nationalists such as Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000...
and Vuk Drašković
Vuk Draškovic
Vuk Drašković , leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, is a Serbian politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia.He graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School in 1968...
.
Quotes
- One must take the opportunity of the war conditions and at a suitable moment take hold of the territory marked on the map, cleanse it before anybody notices and with strong battalions occupy the key places: OsijekOsijekOsijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
, VinkovciVinkovciVinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
, Slavonski BrodSlavonski BrodSlavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 59,507 in 2011. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. It is the sixth largest city in Croatia, after Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the...
, KninKninKnin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
, ŠibenikŠibenikŠibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, MostarMostarMostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
, MetkovićMetkovicMetković is a city in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the border with Herzegovina.-Demographics:...
and the territory surrounding these cities, freed of non-SerbSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
elements. The guilty must be promptly punished and the others deported - the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
to CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, the Muslims to TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
or perhaps AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
- while the vacated territory is settled with Serb refugees now located in Serbia.
See also
- Virovitica-Karlovac-Karlobag lineVirovitica-Karlovac-Karlobag lineThe Karlobag-Ogulin-Karlovac-Virovitica line is a hypothetical boundary often used to describe the western extent of an irredentist nationalist Serbian state. Everything east of this line would form a part of Serbia, while the west of it would be within Slovenia, and all which might remain of Croatia...
- Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsMemorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsThe Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts was a draft document produced by a 14-member committee composed by members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1985 to 1986, presided by Kosta Mihailović...
- Vojislav ŠešeljVojislav ŠešeljVojislav Šešelj, JD is a Serbian politician, writer and lawyer. He is the founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party and was vice-president of Serbia between 1998 and 2000...