ORJUNA
Encyclopedia
ORJUNA, ОРЈУНА, the commonly used acronym for Organizacija Jugoslavenskih Nacionalista, Организација Југославенских Националиста (Organization of Yugoslav Nationalists), was a political organization during the 1920s in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
. It was the foremost fascist
movement in interwar Yugoslavia
. It supported Yugoslav nationalism
, promoted the creation of a corporatist
state, and attacked communism
, democracy
, Jews
, separatists, Croatian nationalists
, and Serbian nationalists
. It was particularly influential in areas of Slovenia
and Croatia
that were of interest to Italian
and Austrian
irredentism
as well as in areas where ethnic minorities where viewed to be powerful or separatist, such as Hungarians in Vojvodina
. The membership of the movement was ethnically mixed of the various Yugoslav
nationalities. However most of its members were Croats from Dalmatia
. It ran its own newspapers, had an academic club, a labour organization, a high school students wing "Young Yugoslavia", and a paramilitary
organization, the Action Section. It was created in March 1921 in Split
. Its leader was Milan Pribićević
. by a fusion of pre-war youth
organizations and was originally called Jugoslavenska Napredna Nacionalistička Omladina/Yugoslav Progressive Nationalist Youth. The first president was Marko Nani and the first secretary Edo Bulat. The first actions organized by JNNO were demonstrations against communists because of the communist assassination of the Minister of Interior Milorad Drašković. JNNO organized demonstrations in Split, Zagreb
and Osijek
. In Zagreb, JNNO members even demolished offices of newspapers that blamed the government for assassination.
Until 1922 people of all age groups started to join the organization, which changed its name in May 1922 to ORJUNA. ORJUNA's main political goal was maintaining a unitary Yugoslav state. Its members clashed with Austrian and Italian border patrols. ORJUNA never participated directly in elections but its supporters voted for Yugoslav oriented parties. In 1929, when the King proclaimed his personal dictatorship
and disbanded the parliament, ORJUNA supported the King's action, but because the King outlawed all political parties and organizations ORJUNA ceased to exist.
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...
. It was the foremost fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
movement in interwar Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. It supported Yugoslav nationalism
Yugoslavism
Yugoslavism refers to nationalism or patriotism centred upon the Yugoslav peoples within the Yugoslav populated territories of Southeastern Europe...
, promoted the creation of a corporatist
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
state, and attacked communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, separatists, Croatian nationalists
Croatian nationalism
Croatian nationalism is the nationalism of Croats or of Croatian culture. It arose in the 19th century in response to Magyarization of Croat territories under Hungarian rule, especially under the influence of Ante Starčević and Eugen Kvaternik,...
, and Serbian nationalists
Serbian nationalism
Serbian nationalism refers to the ethnic nationalism of Serbs. Originally arising in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule, under the influence of Serbian linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić and Ilija Garašanin....
. It was particularly influential in areas of 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...
and 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 ...
that were of interest to Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Austrian
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
irredentism
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
as well as in areas where ethnic minorities where viewed to be powerful or separatist, such as Hungarians in Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
. The membership of the movement was ethnically mixed of the various Yugoslav
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
nationalities. However most of its members were Croats from Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
. It ran its own newspapers, had an academic club, a labour organization, a high school students wing "Young Yugoslavia", and a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
organization, the Action Section. It was created in March 1921 in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. Its leader was Milan Pribićević
Milan Pribićević
Milan Pribićević was an ethnic Serb Yugoslav who was leader of the ORJUNA, a short-lived but influential Yugoslav fascist party in Yugoslavia during the 1920s that supported Yugoslav nationalism, promoted the creation of a corporatist state, and attacked communism, democracy, Jews, separatists,...
. by a fusion of pre-war youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
organizations and was originally called Jugoslavenska Napredna Nacionalistička Omladina/Yugoslav Progressive Nationalist Youth. The first president was Marko Nani and the first secretary Edo Bulat. The first actions organized by JNNO were demonstrations against communists because of the communist assassination of the Minister of Interior Milorad Drašković. JNNO organized demonstrations in Split, 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 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...
. In Zagreb, JNNO members even demolished offices of newspapers that blamed the government for assassination.
Until 1922 people of all age groups started to join the organization, which changed its name in May 1922 to ORJUNA. ORJUNA's main political goal was maintaining a unitary Yugoslav state. Its members clashed with Austrian and Italian border patrols. ORJUNA never participated directly in elections but its supporters voted for Yugoslav oriented parties. In 1929, when the King proclaimed his personal dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
and disbanded the parliament, ORJUNA supported the King's action, but because the King outlawed all political parties and organizations ORJUNA ceased to exist.