Corfu Declaration

The Corfu Declaration was an important agreement made on July 20, 1917, on the island of Corfu. It was signed by Nikola Pašić, the prime minister of Serbia, and Ante Trumbić, the president of the Yugoslav Committee. They met to discuss how to unite the South Slavs—a group of people who lived in Serbia, Montenegro, and Austria-Hungary—after the First World War.

At the time, Russia had stopped supporting Serbia, and the Yugoslav Committee was not getting much attention from Austria-Hungary. Because of this, both sides wanted to reach an agreement. However, they had different ideas about how the new country should be governed. Pašić wanted a central government, while Trumbić wanted a federal system where different areas had more control.

The Corfu Declaration was a compromise. It decided that the new country, called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, would be a constitutional monarchy under the Serbian Karađorđević dynasty. Many details about how the government would work were left for a future meeting called a Constitutional Assembly. The talks lasted for 35 days, and Trumbić did not get much support from others in the Yugoslav Committee, who were more worried about threats from Italy.

Background

During the First World War, people living in parts of Austria-Hungary who were South Slavic — including the Croats, the Serbs, the Slovenes, and Muslim Slavs called Bosniaks — wanted change. They hoped for a new country where all South Slavs could live together, separate from the big empire. This idea was called Yugoslavist ideas and would include joining with the Kingdom of Serbia.

Serbia saw the war as a chance to grow bigger. They wanted to bring together lands with South Slavs, like parts of Croatia-Slavonia, Slovene Lands, Vojvodina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Dalmatia, into one country with Serbia. But this didn’t fit with what the Triple Entente — the group of countries fighting against Germany — wanted, because they preferred Austria-Hungary to stay strong to balance the power of the German Empire.

In late 1915, Serbia was defeated and had to leave their country. Their leaders and soldiers went to the Greek island of Corfu for safety.

In April 1915, a group called the Yugoslav Committee was formed. It included smart people and leaders from Austria-Hungary who said they spoke for South Slavs. Ante Trumbić led this group, and another important member was Frano Supilo. He wanted a country where Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Montenegro would all be part of a bigger federation.

On 30 May 1917, South Slavic members of the Vienna Imperial Council created something called the May Declaration. They asked for the lands where Croats, Slovenes, and Serbs lived to become one free and independent country, still under the rule of the Habsburg royal family. They believed this was right because of the idea that people should choose their own leaders.

Discussions at Corfu

The leaders of Serbia and the Yugoslav Committee met on the island of Corfu in 1917 to discuss how to unite South Slavic lands after World War I. They faced many challenges, as they disagreed on how the new country should be governed. Serbia wanted a central government led by Belgrade, while the Yugoslav Committee preferred a federation that would give more power to local areas.

After many meetings, they reached the Corfu Declaration. This agreement stated that Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes were one people and that the new country would be a parliamentary monarchy under the Karađorđević dynasty. They decided that the exact details of how the government would work would be decided later by a special assembly. The declaration also promised fair treatment for all people, no matter their religion or language.

Impact

See also: Creation of Yugoslavia

The Corfu Declaration was an important agreement made during World War I. It was created to help unite different South Slavic groups after the war. Though some leaders liked parts of the plan, others did not agree with everything. The Declaration suggested the name for a new country called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It also talked about flags, languages, and religions that would be recognized.

Later in 1918, leaders met again to discuss how to unite these groups. They changed some ideas from the Corfu Declaration, and on December 1, the new country was officially proclaimed.