The Hungarian revolutionary movement of 1848 and 1849, directed against Habsburg rule, was ultimately put down militarily by the Vienna central power with Russian help. As a result, the existential conditions of the Serbs in historic southern Hungary changed significantly: After the revolution, the vast majority of their settlement area was added to a new administrative unit, “Serbian Vojvodina and Banat of Temeswar.” Although this unit remained part of the Habsburg Empire, it was utterly separated from Hungary. When the monarchy felt compelled to make new concessions to Hungary due to the military defeat of Solferino in 1859, the aforementioned administrative unit “Serbian Vojvodina and Banat of Temeswar” was again incorporated into the sphere of influence of (Inner-) Hungary and Croatia-Slavonia in 1860. (6) Since 1861, the liberal party under the leadership of Svetozar Miletić has set the tone for the political life of the southern Hungarian Serbs; this party continued its efforts to cooperate with the Hungarian Liberals even after the Habsburg Empire was converted into the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy in 1867.(7) The previously mentioned specific cultural profile of the Vojvodina Serbs ultimately survived the collapse of the Danube Monarchy after the First World War. In addition to Croatia-Slavonia, Hungary also had to cede the predominantly Serb-populated areas of the Bács-Bodrog county and the historic Banat region to the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes due to the Trianon Peace Treaty signed in 1920. This kingdom, ruled by the Serbian Karađorđević dynasty and officially called Yugoslavia since 1929, collapsed in 1941 in the turmoil of World War II. After the war, Vojvodina was constituted as an autonomous province within Serbia, which, in turn, together with Croatia, formed one of the main pillars of the Yugoslav federal state founded by Josip Broz Tito until 1991. The area of the autonomous province largely coincides with the main settlement areas of the Serbs in the former Kingdom of Hungary, including Croatia-Slavonia.
In the now-independent Republic of Serbia, the multi-ethnic province also forms the decisive frame of reference for the former southern Hungarian Serbs. The potential of this political unit to act as a bridge between Central and Southeastern Europe is clearly visible.
Dr. phil Marc Stefan Peters is a historian, who has taught several times at the Andrássy University Budapest. He has researched on issues pertaining to politics, culture and religion of Central and Southeastern Europe.
Read more about our commentary series on the Balkans and the challenges of democratic transformation HERE.
References
(1) See HUNTINGTON, Samuel P.: Kampf der Kulturen. Die Neugestaltung der Weltpolitik im 21. Jahrhundert; München 200212; pp. 252-245.
(2) See ALEKSOV, Bojan: Metropolie (Patriarchat) von Karlowitz; pp. 187-194 (187) in: Bahlcke, Joachim / Rohdewald, Stefan / Wünsch, Thomas (eds.), Religiöse Erinnerungsorte in Ostmitteleuropa. Konstitution und Konkurrenz im nationen- und epochenübergreifenden Zugriff; Berlin 2013.
(3) See VLADA AUTONOMNE POKRAJINE VOJVODINE: Koliko se poznajemo. Iz istorije nacionalnih zajednica u Vojvodini; Novi Sad 20149; p. 39.
(4) See DJORDJEVIĆ, Dimitrije: Die Serben; pp, 734-774 (737) in: Die Habsburgermonarchie 1848-1918; Volume III (1): Die Völker des Reiches; Vienna 2003.
(5) See ibidem, pp. 740/741.
(6) See ibidem pp. 747/748.
(7) See ibidem pp. 748/749.