Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina (1943–1945) Demokratska Bosna i Hercegovina  (Serbo-Croatian) Federal State of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1945–1946) Federalna Država Bosna i Hercegovina  (Serbo-Croatian) People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1946–1963) Narodna Republika Bosna i Hercegovina  (Serbo-Croatian) Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1963–1992) Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina  (Serbo-Croatian)
1943–1992
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Hej Slaveni"/"Hej Sloveni" "Хеј, Слaвени"/"Хеј, Слoвени" (English: "Hey, Slavs")
Location of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Yugoslavia.
Status	Constituent republic of Yugoslavia
Capital	Sarajevo
Common languages	Serbo-Croatian
Government	Titoist one-party socialist republic
Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 1945–1946 (first)	Vojislav Kecmanović
• 1990–1992 (last)	Alija Izetbegović
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 1945–1948 (first)	Rodoljub Čolaković
• 1990–1992 (last)	Jure Pelivan
Legislature	Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Historical era	Cold War
• ZAVNOBiH	25 November 1943
• Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia	18 November 1991
• Republika Srpska formed	9 January 1992
• 1992 Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum	1 March 1992
• Outbreak of Bosnian War	5 April 1992
• Independence	6 April 1992
ISO 3166 code	BA
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Yugoslavia Independent State of Croatia Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was one of the six states that made up Yugoslavia. This country existed from 1945 to 1992.

Before 1963, it had different names. It was called Democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1943 to 1946. Then it was known as the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina until 1963.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was special within Yugoslavia. It did not have one main ethnic group. Instead, it had three large groups: Bosnian Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. Power was shared among these groups. This system was called "ethnic key."

Sarajevo was the capital city for the entire time. It is still the capital today. In 1990, the Socialist Republic changed its government. It became the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1992, it declared independence from Yugoslavia.

The borders of Socialist Bosnia and Herzegovina were almost the same as they were during Austro-Hungarian rule. This rule ended in 1918. After that, Bosnia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Its modern borders were set when the People's Republic was formed.

How Bosnia and Herzegovina Got Its Name

The name of Bosnia and Herzegovina changed a few times. On November 25, 1943, a group called the State Anti-fascist Council for the National Liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ZAVNOBiH) met.

In April 1945, the country was officially named the Federal State of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a part of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. Later, Yugoslavia changed its name to the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. So, in January 1946, Bosnia and Herzegovina also changed its name. It became the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This name stayed until 1963. On April 7, 1963, Yugoslavia became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. At that time, the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina changed its name again. It became the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After gaining independence on March 1, 1992, the country was renamed the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later, after the Dayton Agreement, it became simply Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997.

Life in Socialist Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia was chosen to develop military industries after World War II. This was because of its central location in Yugoslavia. This led to many weapons and soldiers being in Bosnia. This was an important factor in the Bosnian War in the 1990s.

However, most of Bosnia's time in Yugoslavia was peaceful. It was also a time of growth. In the early 1950s, Bosnia was one of the poorer states. But it quickly improved its economy. It used its many natural resources to grow its industries.

Yugoslavia had a belief called "brotherhood and unity." This idea was very good for Bosnia's diverse society. Because of this system, different cultures lived together peacefully. They also thrived socially. A great example of this cultural tolerance was when Sarajevo was chosen to host the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Politics and Leaders

For a long time, Bosnia was not seen as a very important political area. This was mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. But in the 1970s, strong Bosnian political leaders emerged.

These politicians worked within the communist system. Leaders like Džemal Bijedić, Branko Mikulić, and Hamdija Pozderac worked to protect Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence. Their efforts were very important after Tito died in 1980. Many people see their work as early steps towards Bosnia's independence.

After Tito's death in 1980, new ideas of nationalism started to grow. This put pressure on Bosnia. Bosnian leaders had to deal with claims of nationalism in their own society.

Moving Towards Independence

When communism ended and Yugoslavia began to break apart, the idea of tolerance weakened. This allowed nationalist ideas to spread more easily.

In November 1990, Bosnia and Herzegovina held its first multi-party elections. Three main ethnic parties won. These were the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, the Serbian Democratic Party, and the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the elections, these parties formed a government together.

They shared power based on ethnic groups. For example, the President of the Presidency was a Bosniak. The president of the Parliament was a Bosnian Serb. The prime minister was a Bosnian Croat.

After Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina also declared its sovereignty. This happened in October 1991. Then, in March 1992, Bosnia held a vote (referendum) on independence. Most of the Bosnian Serb members left the parliament in protest before this vote.

These Bosnian Serb members asked Bosnian Serbs to not vote in the referendum. The vote was held on February 29 and March 1, 1992. About 64-67% of people voted. Of those who voted, 98% wanted independence. The parliament declared independence on March 5, 1992.

The Bosnian Serb political leaders used the referendum and a sad event that happened just before it as reasons to start road blockades. This led to more political problems and eventually the Bosnian War.

On April 8, 1992, the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was renamed the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It dropped the word "Socialist." The country began to move towards a capitalist economy. Alija Izetbegović led the republic during this difficult time. In 1992, the Republic declared its full independence from Yugoslavia.

Important Leaders

The Presidency Building in central Sarajevo

Chairmen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Chairman of the Anti-Fascist Council of People's Liberation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Vojislav Kecmanović (November 25, 1943 – April 26, 1945)
• Chairmen of the Presidium of the People's Assembly
  • Vojislav Kecmanović (April 26, 1945 – November 1946)
  • Đuro Pucar (November 1946 – September 1948)
  • Vlado Šegrt (September 1948 – March 1953)
• Chairmen of the People's Assembly
  • Đuro Pucar (December 1953 – June 1963)
  • Ratomir Dugonjić (June 1963 – July 1967)
  • Džemal Bijedić (1967 – July 1971)
  • Hamdija Pozderac (July 1971 – May 1974)
• Chairmen of the Presidency
  • Ratomir Dugonjić (May 1974 – April 1978)
  • Raif Dizdarević (April 1978 – April 1982)
  • Branko Mikulić (April 1982 – April 26, 1984)
  • Milanko Renovica (April 26, 1984 – April 26, 1985)
  • Munir Mesihović (April 26, 1985 – April 1987)
  • Mato Andrić (April 1987 – April 1988)
  • Nikola Filipović (April 1988 – April 1989)
  • Obrad Piljak (April 1989 – December 20, 1990)
  • Alija Izetbegović (December 20, 1990 – April 8, 1992)

Prime Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Prime Minister for Bosnia and Herzegovina (part of Yugoslav Government)
  • Rodoljub Čolaković (March 7, 1945 – April 27, 1945)
• Prime Ministers
  • Rodoljub Čolaković (April 27, 1945 – September 1948)
  • Đuro Pucar (September 1948 – March 1953)
• Chairmen of the Executive Council
  • Đuro Pucar (March 1953 – December 1953)
  • Avdo Humo (December 1953 – 1956)
  • Osman Karabegović (1956–1963)
  • Hasan Brkić (1963–1965)
  • Rudi Kolak (1965–1967)
  • Branko Mikulić (1967–1969)
  • Dragutin Kosovac (1969 – April 1974)
  • Milanko Renovica (April 1974 – April 28, 1982)
  • Seid Maglajlija (April 28, 1982 – April 28, 1984)
  • Gojko Ubiparip (April 28, 1984 – April 1986)
  • Josip Lovrenović (April 1986 – April 1988)
  • Marko Ceranić (April 1988 – December 20, 1990)
  • Jure Pelivan (December 20, 1990 – April 8, 1992)

See also

In Spanish: República Socialista de Bosnia y Herzegovina para niños