Ivan Šubašic
Encyclopedia
Ivan Šubašić was a Croatian and Yugoslav
politician, best known as the last Ban
of Banovina of Croatia
.
He was born in Vukova Gorica
, then in Austria-Hungary
. He finished grammar and high school in Zagreb
, and enrolled onto the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zagreb
. During the First World War, he was drafted into Austro-Hungarian Army
where he took part in the fighting against Serbia
n forces on River Drina
. Later he was sent to the Eastern Front
where he used the opportunity to defect to Russia
ns. From there he joined the Yugoslav volunteers fighting within the Serbian army on the Salonica Front
.
After the war, Šubašić gained his law degree at Zagreb University, and after that, he opened a law office in Vrbovsko
. There he met Vladko Maček
and joined the Croatian Peasant Party
. In 1938, he was elected to the Yugoslav
National Assembly.
In August 1939, Maček and then-Yugoslav Prime Minister Dragiša Cvetković
reached the deal about the constitutional reconstruction of Yugoslavia and restoration of Croatian statehood in the form of Banovina of Croatia
- an autonomous entity which, together with Croatia proper, included large sections of today's Bosnia-Herzegovina and some sections of today's Vojvodina
, which contained a Croatian majority. Šubašić was appointed as the first ban - titular head of this entity, in charge of its government.
The Banovina came to an end together with Kingdom of Yugoslavia, following the invasion of Axis powers
in April 1941. Šubašić joined Dušan Simović
and his Yugoslav government-in-exile, but before leaving, he refused to authorise the release of a large number of Croatian Communists and leftists, arrested and kept in prisons under his supervisions. Those prisons were soon taken over by the newly formed Independent State of Croatia
and its prisoners were later executed by Ustaše
.
In emigration, Šubašić first represented the Yugoslav royal government in USA. Gradually, the widening gap between the royalist government and Yugoslav major resistance movement embodied in Tito
and his Communist-dominated Partisans
forced Winston Churchill
to mediate. Šubašić, a non-Communist Croat, was appointed as new Prime Minister in order to reach a compromise between Tito - whose forces represented the de facto government on liberated territories - and the monarchy, which preferred Draža Mihailović
and his Serb-dominated Chetniks
.
After publicly rejecting Mihailović, Šubašić met with Tito on the island of Vis
and signed the Tito-Šubašić agreement
, which recognised the Partisans as the legitimate armed forces of Yugoslavia in exchange for Partisans formally recognising and taking part in the new government. Šubašić kept his post until March 7, 1945, when Tito formally became Prime Minister of Yugoslavia. Šubašić was foreign minister in his cabinet until October, when he resigned, disagreeing with Communist policies of new government.
Šubašić spent the remainder of his life away from the spotlight, dying 1955 in Zagreb. About 10,000 people attended his funeral. He is buried in Mirogoj Cemetery
.
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
politician, best known as the last Ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
of Banovina of Croatia
Banovina of Croatia
The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1943 . Its capital was at Zagreb and it included most of present-day Croatia along with portions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia...
.
He was born in Vukova Gorica
Vukova Gorica
Vukova Gorica is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D3 highway.- Famous persons :*Josip Boljkovac, former Croatian Minister of the Interior...
, then in 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...
. He finished grammar and high school in Zagreb
Zagreb
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 enrolled onto the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
. During the First World War, he was drafted into Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
where he took part in the fighting against 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...
n forces on River Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
. Later he was sent to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
where he used the opportunity to defect to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns. From there he joined the Yugoslav volunteers fighting within the Serbian army on the Salonica Front
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
.
After the war, Šubašić gained his law degree at Zagreb University, and after that, he opened a law office in Vrbovsko
Vrbovsko
Vrbovsko is a town in western Croatia, situated at the far east of the mountainous region of Gorski kotar in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county; on its 280 square kilometers area, Vrbovsko features 60 settlements and a total of 5,019 inhabitants...
. There he met Vladko Maček
Vladko Macek
Vladko Maček was a Croatian politician active within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the first half of the 20th century. He led the Croatian Peasant Party following the assassination of Stjepan Radić, and all through World War II.- Early life :Maček was born to a Slovene-Czech family in the village...
and joined the Croatian Peasant Party
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party is a center and socially conservative political party in Croatia.-Austria-Hungary:The Croatian People's Peasant Party was formed on December 22, 1904 by Antun Radić along with his brother Stjepan Radić. The party contested elections for the first time in the Kingdom of...
. In 1938, he was elected to the Yugoslav
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
National Assembly.
In August 1939, Maček and then-Yugoslav Prime Minister Dragiša Cvetković
Dragiša Cvetkovic
Dragiša Cvetković was a Yugoslav politician.He served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1941. He developed the federalization of Yugoslavia through the creation of the Banovina of Croatia by an agreement with Croatian leader Vladko Maček...
reached the deal about the constitutional reconstruction of Yugoslavia and restoration of Croatian statehood in the form of Banovina of Croatia
Banovina of Croatia
The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1943 . Its capital was at Zagreb and it included most of present-day Croatia along with portions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia...
- an autonomous entity which, together with Croatia proper, included large sections of today's Bosnia-Herzegovina and some sections of today's Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
, which contained a Croatian majority. Šubašić was appointed as the first ban - titular head of this entity, in charge of its government.
The Banovina came to an end together with Kingdom of Yugoslavia, following the invasion of Axis powers
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
in April 1941. Šubašić joined Dušan Simović
Dušan Simovic
Dušan T. Simović was a Yugoslav general who served as chief of the air force and commander-in-chief of the Royal Yugoslav Army and as the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.-Life and career:...
and his Yugoslav government-in-exile, but before leaving, he refused to authorise the release of a large number of Croatian Communists and leftists, arrested and kept in prisons under his supervisions. Those prisons were soon taken over by the newly formed Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
and its prisoners were later executed by Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
.
In emigration, Šubašić first represented the Yugoslav royal government in USA. Gradually, the widening gap between the royalist government and Yugoslav major resistance movement embodied in Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
and his Communist-dominated Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
forced Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
to mediate. Šubašić, a non-Communist Croat, was appointed as new Prime Minister in order to reach a compromise between Tito - whose forces represented the de facto government on liberated territories - and the monarchy, which preferred Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
and his Serb-dominated Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
.
After publicly rejecting Mihailović, Šubašić met with Tito on the island of Vis
Vis (island)
Vis is the most outerly lying larger Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and is part of the Central Dalmatian group of islands, with an area of 90.26 km² and a population of 3,617 . Of all the inhabited Croatian islands, it is the farthest from the coast...
and signed the Tito-Šubašić agreement
Tito-Šubašic Agreement
The Treaty of Vis , also known as the Tito-Šubašić Agreement, was an attempt by the Western Powers to merge the royal Yugoslav government in exile with the Communist-led Partisans who were fighting the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia in the Second World War and were de facto rulers on the liberated...
, which recognised the Partisans as the legitimate armed forces of Yugoslavia in exchange for Partisans formally recognising and taking part in the new government. Šubašić kept his post until March 7, 1945, when Tito formally became Prime Minister of Yugoslavia. Šubašić was foreign minister in his cabinet until October, when he resigned, disagreeing with Communist policies of new government.
Šubašić spent the remainder of his life away from the spotlight, dying 1955 in Zagreb. About 10,000 people attended his funeral. He is buried in Mirogoj Cemetery
Mirogoj Cemetery
The Mirogoj Cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemetery parks in Europe and, because of its design, numbers among the more noteworthy landmarks in the City of Zagreb....
.