Podgorica Assembly
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The '''Podgorica Assembly''' ([[Serbian language|Serbian]]: Подгоричка скупштина / ''Podgorička skupština''), in full name known as the '''Great National Assembly of the Serb People in Montenegro''' ([[Serbian language|Serbian]]: Велика Народна Скупштина Српског Народа у Црној Гори / ''Velika Narodna Skupština Srpskog Naroda u Crnoj Gori'') or the '''Serbian Great People's Assembly in Montenegro''', was an assembly held in [[Podgorica]] that served as the representative body of the Montenegrin people during the [[Creation of Yugoslavia]] in late 1918 and early 1919. The president of the assembly was [[Savo Cerović]], and two vice-presidents were [[Savo Fatić]] and [[Lazar Damjanović]]. It was organized by [[Andrija Radović]], former [[Prime Minister of Montenegro|Prime Minister of the Princedom and later Kingdom of Montenegro]] and head of the leading [[People's Party (Montenegro)|People's Party]]. Its most known for its decision to depose the [[House of Petrovic-Njegos]] and merge Montenegro with [[Serbia]].
== Background ==
=== Origins of the Idea ===
Montenegro was a part of the [[History of Medieval Serbia|Medieval Serbian realm]]. The crucial moment of separation were the 1455 conquests of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Montenegro was first conquered and then annexed by the Ottomans in 1499<ref>Istorija Crne Gore, Istorijski Institut Crne Gore</ref>. Montenegro gradually fought for restoration of independence over the centuries, and its foreign policy ideological plans formed that of unification and liberation of all Serbs and saw itself as a successor to the Serbian Empire, in its program particularly successful under the [[House of Petrović-Njegoš]] dynasty<ref>Osvrt na neka pitanja iz istorije Crne Gore, [[Nikola Vukčević]]</ref>.
In the dawn of the 19th century [[Serbia]] was recreated in the [[First Serbian Uprising]] and attempts were made to make a connection of [[Karađorđe Petrović]] and [[Petar I Petrović-Njegoš]] and reunite Montenegro and Serbia across the [[Raška (region)|Raška]] region of [[Old Serbia]], however the uprising was crushed, initiatives for which were made in 1807<ref>Prilozi izučavanju crnogorskog nacionalnog pitanja, Dimitrije-Dimo Vujović</ref>. The Serbian rebels successfully liberated the Highlands and around half of present-day Montenegro, which was a lot bigger territory than Peter I controlled. Over the years Serbia coined with it Russian and French protectors hypothetical lands which would be Free Serbia in case of the Empire's destruction, Montenegro very soon found itself as a component piece<ref>Istorija srpskog naroda, [[Vladimir Ćorović]]</ref>. Prince-Bishop [[Petar II Petrović-Njegoš]] responded to the 1848 proposal of the Government of Serbia for creation of a Federal Yugoslavia that he wants first a secular unification of the Serb people under the crown of [[Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia|Prince Alexander Karađorđević of Serbia]] and spiritual under the leadership of himself as Patriarch of the renewed [[Serbian Orthodox Church]]<ref>Petar II Petrović Njegoš, Pisma</ref>.
1844 was the crucial year of change in the relations of Serbia towards the unificational issue, and the directive towards the liberation and unification of Serbs under the Habsburg and Ottoman empires was especially changed with the draft of [[Nacertanije|The Drawing]] for Minister [[Ilija Garasanin]], which, although, Prince-Bishop Peter II Petrovic-Njegos had approved and adopted for Montenegro for implementation. The revolutionary concept of freedom was slowly amongst the elite changing to a concept of [[Belgrade]]'s domination, which henceforth is known as the hegemonic ideology of a [[Greater Serbia]]<ref>Ujedinjenje Srbije i Crne Gore, Dimitrije-Dimo Vujović</ref>.
Montenegro was transformed into a secular state in 1852 under Prince [[Danilo I, Prince of Montenegro|Danilo Petrovic-Njegos]]. He has expressed determinaton that all Serbs should unite under the crown of King [[Mihailo Obrenović III, Prince of Serbia|Mihailo Obrenovic III]] of Serbia, but the Ottoman Empire made that more of a dream. Prince [[Nicholas I of Montenegro|Nikola Petrovic]] succeeded him after his assassination in 1860, and he led Montenegro in an effort to resurrect the idea that Montenegro after all still could be the central point of Serb unification, despite Serbia's successes.
Nicholas relieved the old national-romantic ideas of the Serbian Empire, and in 1866 made a secret Montengrin-Serbian anti-Ottoman pact, in such an effort, and expressed the desire to abdicate in favor of Prince Michael Obrenovic of Serbia. However another important, but secret clause, hidden from the broader public which was only presented with Nicholas' desire to give away his thrown, is that Nicholas is recognized as the legitimate successor to the Serbian throne, should the Serbian prince remain heirless, which was evidently going to be the case. The moment of the brake of incredibly close relations of Montenegro and Serbia arose with the international conspiracy against Mihailo, resulting in his assassination in 1868, after which in the wake of a near civil war the ruling structures elected Alexander of the Karadjordjevic dynasty as the new Prince. This was followed by not so good relations between the two Serb states, as the Petrovic and Karadjordjevic houses soon became rivals for liberation of Serbs under foreign territory and had claims against one another<ref>Srpske dinastije, Radoš Ljušić and Andrija Veselinović</ref>.
Montenegro was, with its dawn as an independent country, facing considerable needs in change of political reorder. However, King Nicholas of Montenegro had ruled with an iron hand and refused to make any sort of drawback to the new democratic opposition, headed by the youth, schooled abroad and particularly in Belgrade, had presented. The only minor change in that aim was granting a Constitution in 1905 after the revolution in Russia in 1903 and the March overthrowing on the Serbian throne, which he received as considerable warnings. Nicholas had no problem to remove persons from political life which he saw as potential threats to his power, and even persecuted the reformist currents, most notably at the infamous 1908 [[Kolašin process]]. Through the political courses this created self-identification of the will to unite with Serbia, the political directive which Nicholas was slowly abandoning, as an aim to fight against his authoritarian rule. Another important point was economic need. Most of Montenegro's population was composed by peasantry, and the country had no good looks at all to be able to sustain itself and survive, especially the wave of economic changes that was following. Yet another factor was an external political one. In the wake of Austrian and Italian Imperialism and expansionism, Montenegro solidarized itself with the native element of Serbia. All these crucial elements, along with the doctrine of the Age of Romantic Nationalism, in which masses accepted the unification as a fulfillment of a centuries-old dream, composed the fabric of most of the Montenegrins' desire for unification with the people of Serbia, but leaving the question of how completely untouched<ref>Ujedinjenje Crne Gore i Srbije, Dimitrije Dimo-Vujović</ref><ref>Crna Gora i Srbija, Janko Spasojević</ref>.
=== Early process ===
However Nicholas had greater and more pretensions for himself, including the Throne of Serbia for himself or his close cousin, which brought the first obstacles in unification of Montenegro and Serbia. He was greatly influenced by the [[National romanticism|national-romantic]] age and expressed himself as the future Serb Emperor during the 1876–1878 anti-Ottoman wars that brought large territorial expansions and independences to both Montenegro and Serbia. This was especially expressed after the assassination of Prince Mihailo in 1868 and the May [[coup d'etat]] against King [[Alexander I of Serbia|Alexander Obrenovic]] of 1903. 1907 was the start of [[parliamentarism]] in Montenegro with the formation of the [[People's Party (Montenegro)|People's Party]] which aimed particularly at uniting with Serbia, in which Andrija Radovic was particularly prominent. It continually defeated the pro-Court [[True People's Party]] and gained immense popularity amongst the people for its fights for democracy while King Nicholas' popularity continually decreased because of its authoritarianism. However, national unity was achieved and unification with Serbia was redetermined as a national cause with the 1912 and 1913 [[Balkan wars]], after which a common border was finally achieved in [[Sandzak]], which prevented unification in 1878. In 1914 King Nikola initiated talks and preparations for an "Economic, Military and Political Union of Montenegro with Serbia", interrupted by the [[First World War|the Great War]].
[[Image:Montenegro1913.png|thumb|right|Kingdom of Montenegro]]
=== The Great War ===
After siding immediately with Serbia upon [[Austria-Hungary]]'s declaration of war, the Montenegrin Army was subjected to the Serbian Military HQ. After long and intense fighting Serbia collapsed to the joint armies of Austro-Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria in late 1915 and initiated a planned withdrawal of the country across Montenegro. Montenegro divided its forces with one part invading and seizing northern Albania including Skadar the same year, which was a territory demanded by Montenegro since Albania's independence. The remainder defended the pass into Montenegro against Austro-Hungarian forces at [[Mojkovac]]. King Nicholas refused to initiate withdrawal together with the Serbians upon the Government's demands and started to negotiate a separate peace. The Dual Monarchy demanded complete surrender, but Nicholas couldn't comply with the surrender of the Serbians still present on Montenegrin soil. In early 1916 the front collapsed and the Central Powers' forces quickly advanced, while Nicholas and his closest men quickly in panic left the country secretly to allied Italy across the sea. The act ruined greatly Nicholas' prestige and political manuevrebility for the post-war world. The government condemned Nicholas and capitulated to Austria-Hungary.
=== Preparations ===
Various Montenegrin regimes in exile self-appointed by the King in [[Neuilly]] in the French capital had negotiated with him on the matter of post-war unification of Montenegro and Serbia, but Nicholas only gave approval but refused to sign, continually demanded first the end of the war. Upon that the government resigned and created the "Montenegrin Committee for National Unification" which found protection in the Serbian Royal government of [[Nikola Pašić]]. On [[17 July]] [[1917]] the [[Yugoslav Committee]] and the Government of the Kingdom of Serbia signed the [[Corfu Declaration]], which, accepted by the Great Allied Powers and approved by the Montenegrin Committee for Unification, laid the foundations for a South Slavic state that would also include Montenegro. The approval was heavily condemned by King Nicholas, but his new Prime Minister was also for unification. A very large diplomatic war began between the later governments of [[Evgenije Popović]] and [[Anto Gvozdenović]] and the pro-Serbian Committee. In 1918 the Serbian Royal Army liberated Montenegro from the [[Central Powers]]' occupation and [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] mission of Serbia, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the United States was assigned to provisionally occupy and establish a domestic and provisional control over Montenegro.
Various tiny assemblies organized similar to the ones in the former [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] former lands, including most clan assemblies of the [[Serb clans|Montenegrin clans]] as well as most of the Montenegrin diaspora organizations, particularly those in USA, have convened in support of such an act. In particular [[Metohija]] and the [[Vasojevići]] already decided to join Serbia. It is thus that on [[15 October]] [[1918]] the Montenegrin Committee and Government of Serbia formed the "Central Executive Committee for Unification of Serbia and Montenegro" in [[Berane]] on [[15 October]] [[1918]] to make the preparations.
== Electoral Rules ==
On [[25 October]] [[1918]] in [[Berane]], the city of one of the Committee's members, it brought the decision to schedule a nation-wide election for 165 MPs a Parliament which would decide about the form and process of unification of Montenegro with Serbia, as well as the rules of its election. The compromise is that it wouldn't be based on neither Montenegrin nor Serbian laws, but completely new and more modern ones. The official name that was adopted was the '''Great People's Assembly of the Serbian People in Montenegro'''.
The people will secretly elect electors, who would subsequently nominate the assembly.
* Each Captainies elects 10 electors
* Each District (newly-gained unrepresented territories from the Balkan Wars) elects 15 electors
* Each Town below 5,000 residents ([[Bar, Montenegro|Bar]], [[Ulcinj]], [[Kolašin]], [[Berane]] and [[Bijelo Polje]]) elects 5 electors and Cities with 5,000 or more citizens ([[Cetinje]], [[Podgorica]], [[Pljevlja]], [[Peć]] and [[Đakovica]]) elects 10 electors
The electors were the democratic holders of the national vote from the people, but they were supposed to themselves elect the Members of the Parliament in order to secure the balance and equally represent all levels of the community by profession, religious determination and ethnic affiliation.
Every male Montenegrin aged 25 or more had the right to be elected into the Parliament:
* Each Captainy must give 2 MPs
* Every District must give 3 MPs
* Every Town must give 1 and every City 2 MPs
== Election ==
Two organized lists were opposed:<br>
1. [[Bjelasi|White List]] - [[Gavrilo Dožić]]<br>
2. [[Zelenaši|Green List]] - Špiro Tomanović
The Whites were opponents of the reigning King Nikola, presenting him as an enemy to democracy, the people and betrayer of his dynasty's original foundations. They were led the Metropolitan of the [[Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral|Serb Orthodox Church in Montenegro]], [[Gavrilo Dožić]], and stood for direct, immediate and unconditional unification with the Kingdom of Serbia. The Greens were pro-dynastic supporters of King Nikola and abbreviated for a conditional and loose unification of Montenegro with Serbia.
After quick but major preparations, the elections were held on [[19 November]] [[1918]]. The Whites won at all locations except at the heart of Cetinje, where the sovereignists received considerable support too.
During the elections the Kingdom of Italy, frustrated by the not fulfilled promises of the 1915 [[Treaty of London]], prepared and an invasion of Montenegro with its forces centered at the [[Bay of Kotor]]. The Italian forces were bent on capturing Cetinje and proclaimed a Montenegrin client state, but they were repulsed after the possibility of war with Serbia and the pressure of the other Allied Powers, most notably the US. This and other numerous problems in the chaotic time that stood to the scene after the Central Powers' defeat in formerly occupied territories caused individual irregularities during the election. In Bijelo Polje, [[Plav]] and [[Gusinje]] instead of elections the electors were appointed by the local community, and due to the subsequent rapidly changing following acts elections were never properly repeated.
The Electors then publicly nominated a Session of the Parliament with 165 MPs. 56 MPs had a PhD, 6 were teachers and priests, 25 were Clan Chieftains, 14 were Agricultural workers and 3 youthe. The several Green electors refused to show up and boycotted the assembly. Italy then opened up in Gaeta at the coast a camp for training Greens in preparations to instigate a rebellion, to prevent again the unification since it was forced to withdraw its forces completely.
==The Parliament==
The Great National Assembly was constituated on [[24 November]] [[1918]] in the most appropriate object in Podgorica, the Tobacco Monopoly. Podgorica was chosen because it was the largest and most populated city in Montenegro. In two following session of 25 November '18 the parliament elected its President, two Vice-Presidents and the Secretary. The day on [[26 November]] [[1918]] the parliament unanimously adopted a resolution with the following decisions:<br>
1. To depose [[Nicholas I of Montenegro|King Nikola I]] [[House of Petrović-Njegoš|Petrović-Njegoš]] and his dynasty from the Montenegrin throne<br>
2. To unite Montenegro with the brotherly Serbia into a single state under the [[House of Karađorđević]], and in such entity to then enter into a common Fatherland with our people under three names Serbs, Croats and Slovenes<br>
3. To establish a National Executive Committee made up of five individuals, that shall handle the administrative affairs, until the unification of Serbia and Montenegro is complete<br>
4. To announce the Assembly's decisions to:<br>
::*ex King of Montenegro Nikola Petrović
::*the Government of the Kingdom of Serbia
::*the friendly [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] (the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[French Third Republic|France]], and [[Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)|Italy]]), and all neutral countries
The MPs called upon the long lasting desire to unite the [[Serbs|Serb people]] from Montenegro with the one in Serbia and sent a copy of the Montenegrin Crown to King [[Peter I of Serbia|Petar I Karađorđević]] with a delegation that went to Belgrade led by Metropolitan Dožić on [[17 December]] [[1918]].
The Parliament continued its session until [[29 November]] [[1918]], when the "Central Montenegrin Committee for Unification" was appointed and sworn composed out 5 most experienced individuals in Montenegro.
==Epilogue==
Nevertheless, after the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] was proclaimed, the historic entities have remained and Montenegro too, parallel to Serbia. The Great Serb People's Assembly convened for the last time on [[27 December]] [[1919]] when it elected the Montenegrin share into the Collective National Representing Body of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes that was to draft a Constitution.
When the deposed King and his self-appointed Government of the Kingdom of Montenegro in Exile in [[Neuilly]] was informed by French intelligence, Nicholas discarded the decisions of the assembly claiming it was illegal, calling upon the [[Constitution of Montenegro]], and called forth the Montenegrins not to accept the annexation. Prime Minister [[Evgenije Popović]] wrote to the Great Powers in complaint. Due to lack of support, Nicholas changed his attitude on direct opposition of unification of Serbia and Montenegro to support of unification of Yugoslavia, through which he indirectly criticized Serbia's annexation of Montenegro in precise.
The Greens led in field by [[Krsto Zrnov Popović]] and politically by [[Jovan S. Plamenac]], supported and organized by the Italians, changed their desire to include a completely independent Montenegrin state and resorted to violence to fulfill their goals. They raised on Christmas Eve of [[7 January]] [[1919]] the [[Christmas Uprising]], with an attempt to martially secede Montenegro from the early Yugoslav country. The international community fiercely reacted to the event and the Allied forces quelled the rebellion in blood, raising the sieges of completely cut-off Cetinje and [[Nikšić]]. One day afterwards Nicholas sent a proclamation to the Montenegrin People demanding ceasure of violence, later replacing Popovic with Plamenac as PM. The insurgents mostly found amnesty, others went to Italy which further continued to agitate Montenegrin separatism in the view of the Montenegrin Army in Exile until it was realized under fascist Italy in 1941 during the [[Second World War]], but some form of little guerrilla resistance from bands of the Greens continued, despite Nicholas' proclamation, all the way until every last one's surrender in 1926.
After the creation of the [[League of Nations]], the subject of international law emerged on the 1919 [[Treaty of Versailles]] where Andrija Radović went, as representer of Montenegro, together with Prime Minister [[Nikola Pašić]], rather than a body appointed by King Nicholas. At the specific case of Montenegro and the question about the assembly that annexed it to Serbia, though the Kingdom of SCS was internationally recognized, the Montenegrin question itself was left to be later resolved, mostly due to Nicholas' complaints and reports of a bloody conflict escalating in Montenegro. Nicholas' 1920 request that the [[Montenegrins|Montenegrin People]] deserve the right for full self-determination was finally answered by the following elections, agreeing that the legitimacy of the annexation will be judged by the results. King Nicholas sent a plea to the Greens not to resist and asked for peace and stability, however some comites continued to resist until 1926. On [[28 November]] [[1920]] over 67% of Montenegro's electorate voted and furthermore, the unionist [[Democratic Party (Yugoslavia)|Democratic]] and [[People's Radical Party|Serbian Radical People's Party]] received most of the cast votes. As a result, the last Great Powers of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain]] and the [[French Republic]] broke off relations to Nicholas' court in exile, recognizing the unification.
== Legacy ==
On [[12 July]] [[1941]] the Black Latins gathered by Sekula Drljevic held a Saint Peter's Gathering in Cetinje, where they proclaimed an Independent State of Montenegro under protection of the fascist Kingdom of Italy on an occupied part of the Yugoslavian kingdom and an end to Yugoslavia. The next day Drljevic was made collaborationist Prime Minister, but on the very eve a massive national Montenegrin uprising invoked by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia rose up against the Council's deceisions and Drljevic was several hours after appointed, deposed, with the Chetnik-Partisan rebels successfully taking control over most of the country. The collapse of the alliance arose as the royalists merely wanted a restoration of the regal army, while the Communist Partisans wanted their own, and the Chetniks managed to take over most of Montenegro with ease. By 1944 the Serbian Partisans pushed out of Montenegro the Chetniks, and started to establish provisional authorities in Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor.
Originally, the Communist Party of Montenegro, under its founder and long term leader during the Kingdom period [[Jovan Tomasevic]], opposed any separation of Montenegro from Serbia in the new order and strictly defended the Podgorica Assembly as the will of the people, but the final outcome after WWII was establishment of complete equality between Montenegro and Serbia within the Yugoslav state. In the 1970s the local Communist self-government in Podgorica demolished the tobacco Podgorica Assembly building and built over apartments on top of its ruins. The event was particularly envisaged as highly controversial by the conservative part of the Communist leadership, as the structure was marked as a national monument and wasn't demolished even by the fascists durin Nazi occupation.
In 1992 the Republic of Montenegro [[Montenegrin independence referendum, 1992|had a referendum]] deciding its status in the fall of Yugoslavia, with 98% opting affirmatively for maintaining a Yugoslavia with Serbia and anyone else who wants to remain in it or join it. In 2006, there was [[Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006|another referendum]], somewhat ironically lead by the very same old leader [[Milo Djukanovic]] of the [[Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro]], which was passed by 55% and Montenegro became a full independent country from [[Serbia and Montenegro|its state union with Serbia]]. The event was depicted as the will of the people to counter the decision of its ancesotrs. As a subsequent result, the minor but coalition ruling [[Socialdemocratic Party of Montenegro]] is proposing the parliament to adopt a resolution which would formally abolish all of the Podgorica Assembly's decisions.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Links ==
*[http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/greaterserbia_skupshtina.htm Primary Documents: Montenegrin Skupshtina's Decree, 1 December 1918 - First World War.com]
*[http://www.njegos.org/past/union.htm Extract from ''The Podgorica Assembly of 1918'' by Jovan R. Bojovic]
*[http://www.njegos.org/past/act.jpg Facsimile of the decisions of the Podgorica Assembly]
*{{sr icon}}[http://www.montenegrina.net/pages/pages1/istorija/cg_izmedju_1_i_2_svj_rata/podgoricka_skupstina.htm Mijat Šuković: Podgorička skupština]
*{{sr icon}}[http://www.montenegrina.net/pages/pages1/istorija/cg_izmedju_1_i_2_svj_rata/podgoricka_skupstina_n_martinovic.htm Niko Martinović: Podgorička skupština]
*{{sr icon}}[http://www.njegos.org/past/skupstina.htm Aleksandar Raković: Podgorička skupština]
*{{sr icon}}[http://www.njegos.org/arhsrpski/ekmecic.htm Milorad Ekmečić: Mesto Podgoričke skupštine u istoriji]
[[Category:History of the Serbs]]
[[Category:History of Montenegro]]
[[hr:Podgorička skupština]]
[[sr:Подгоричка скупштина]]