Yugoslav government-in-exile facts for kids
The Government of Yugoslavia in Exile was the official government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was led by King Peter II. This government had to leave its capital, Belgrade, in April 1941. This happened after the Axis powers (like Germany and Italy) invaded Yugoslavia.
The government first went to Greece, then to Palestine, then to Egypt. Finally, in June 1941, it settled in the United Kingdom. Because of this, people often called it the "Government in London".
Contents
Why the Government Left Yugoslavia
A Kingdom with Problems
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was created in 1918. From the start, it faced many political problems. One big issue was that different ethnic and religious groups, like Serbs, Croats, and Muslims, did not always get along. The government was very centralized, meaning power was held in one place. This made many non-Serb people unhappy. They felt discriminated against. This problem was often called the "national question" in Yugoslavia.
Royal Dictatorship and Changes
In 1929, King Alexander stopped the democratic system. He set up a royal dictatorship. He tried to reduce ethnic tensions by dividing the country into new regions based on rivers, not old ethnic areas. But this did not solve the problems. By 1933, there was serious unrest, especially in areas with many Croats. The government responded harshly.
In 1934, King Alexander was killed by Croatian nationalists. His cousin, Prince Paul, took over as a regent. He ruled for Alexander's 11-year-old son, Peter II. After the king's death, Yugoslavia became isolated from other countries.
Prince Paul tried to make peace with Vladko Maček, the leader of the Croatian Peasant Party. In 1939, they reached an agreement called the Cvetković–Maček Agreement. This created the Banovina of Croatia, which was a more independent region within Yugoslavia. Some Croats felt it wasn't enough, while many Serbs felt it gave too much.
Road to Invasion
Growing Pressure from Germany
When World War II started in September 1939, Yugoslavia tried to stay neutral. However, Germany put a lot of pressure on the country. In 1938, Germany had taken over Austria, which meant Yugoslavia now shared a border with Nazi Germany.
In late 1940, Germany forced Hungary and Romania to join the Tripartite Pact. This was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan. Yugoslavia was becoming surrounded. Adolf Hitler wanted Yugoslavia to join the Pact too. He offered them a port on the Aegean Sea and promised to protect their land.
Yugoslavia Joins the Pact
On March 4, 1941, Prince Paul secretly met with Hitler. Hitler pushed him to sign the Tripartite Pact. Prince Paul was worried. He said, "I fear that if I follow your advice and sign the Tripartite Pact I shall no longer be here in six months."
On March 25, 1941, Yugoslavia officially signed the Tripartite Pact in Vienna. Germany promised not to move troops or war materials through Yugoslavia. However, the next day, many Serbs in Belgrade protested. They shouted, "Better the grave than a slave, better a war than the pact!"
The Coup d'état
Just two days later, on March 27, 1941, a coup d'état happened in Belgrade. This was a sudden takeover of the government by a group of pro-Western Serb officers. They were led by Lieutenant General Dušan Simović. The coup removed Prince Paul's regency and the government that had signed the Pact.
The officers declared the 17-year-old King Peter II old enough to rule. They formed a new government with Simović as prime minister. The coup was planned for months, but signing the Pact made the officers act quickly.
After the Coup
The new government refused to fully accept the Tripartite Pact. Hitler was furious about the coup and the anti-German protests. He immediately ordered his army to crush Yugoslavia. He also planned to encourage internal tensions in Yugoslavia by supporting the Croats.
On March 30, the new foreign minister tried to tell the German ambassador that Yugoslavia would still respect its international agreements. But Germany refused to talk and recalled its ambassador. On April 3, Hitler issued new orders for the invasion. He promised parts of Yugoslavia to Hungary and Bulgaria.
The new government was very divided. Some members wanted to fight Germany, others wanted peace, and some were unsure.
Invasion and Flight
The Axis invasion of Yugoslavia began on April 6, 1941. Belgrade was bombed, forcing the government to flee. King Peter and Prime Minister Simović planned to leave the country.
Vladko Maček, the Croatian leader, refused to leave. He resigned on April 7 and returned to Zagreb. Three other ministers also stayed in Yugoslavia. The government met on Yugoslav soil for the last time on April 13 near Pale. From there, they flew out of the country to Athens, Greece.
Government in Exile in London
King Peter, the coup leaders, and most of the government officials flew to Greece on April 14–15. After a short stop in Athens, they went to Jerusalem. On June 21, the king and most of his cabinet arrived in London. Some officials went to other places like the United States or Canada. A small "reserve government" was set up in South Africa.
Yugoslavia was quickly divided by the Axis powers. Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria took over parts of the country. A new state called the Independent State of Croatia was created. The rest of Serbia became a German military zone with a Serb civil government.
King Peter II was still recognized as the king of Yugoslavia by the Allies. Inside Yugoslavia, a resistance movement called the Chetniks fought against the Axis. They were led by General Draža Mihailović and supported by the British and the Yugoslav government in exile.
However, as the war continued, another group became stronger: the Communist Yugoslav Partisans, led by Josip Broz Tito. The Allies started to send most of their help to Tito's Partisans, not the Chetniks. In 1943, Tito declared the creation of the Democratic Federative Yugoslavia.
On June 16, 1944, an agreement was signed between Tito and Ivan Šubašić, who was then the prime minister of the government in exile. This agreement aimed to combine the two governments.
During his exile, King Peter II studied at Cambridge University and served in the Royal Air Force. He married Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.
Prime Ministers in Exile
The government in exile had several prime ministers:
- Dušan Simović (April 1941 – January 1942)
- Slobodan Jovanović (January 1942 – June 1943)
- Miloš Trifunović (June 1943 – August 1943)
- Božidar Purić (August 1943 – July 1944)
- Ivan Šubašić (July 1944 – March 1945)
Šubašić's Cabinet and the End of Exile
Ivan Šubašić became prime minister on June 1, 1944. He was chosen to negotiate with Tito. Ten days after becoming prime minister, Šubašić met with Tito on the island of Vis. They agreed to form a coalition government. Tito agreed to wait until after the war to decide on the form of government. Šubašić recognized that only Tito's administration controlled Yugoslav territory.
After returning, Šubašić formed a new government. Mihailović, the Chetnik leader, lost his position as war minister. On September 12, King Peter went on the radio to ask people to support Tito.
Šubašić met with Tito again in Belgrade on November 1. They agreed that the King could not return to Yugoslavia until people voted on whether to keep the monarchy. The King initially rejected this. But under pressure from the British, he accepted it.
On March 7, 1945, a new coalition government was formed in Belgrade. Tito controlled most of the ministers. This marked the end of the Yugoslav government in exile.
Armed Forces in Exile
The Royal Yugoslav Forces in exile were initially about 1,000 men in Cairo, Egypt. They included remnants of the Royal Yugoslav Army, Navy, and Air Force that had escaped the country.
The first army unit formed was the 1st Battalion, Royal Yugoslav Guards. Many of its soldiers were Slovenes who had been forced to join the Italian army and then captured by the British. This unit fought alongside British and Indian forces in North Africa. However, it faced internal divisions and was eventually disbanded.
The Royal Yugoslav Navy had a few ships and submarines that escaped. They joined the British Mediterranean Fleet and took part in various operations. The Naval Air Force also had some planes that escaped and formed a squadron with the British RAF.
Later in the war, some Yugoslav Air Force personnel joined the Balkan Air Force. They formed two squadrons, No. 352 Squadron RAF and No. 352 Squadron. These squadrons flew planes like Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires. They supported Tito's Partisans in Yugoslavia.
On March 7, 1945, King Peter dissolved the government in exile and its armed forces. He recognized Tito's Partisans as the only legitimate military force in Yugoslavia.
| Portrait | Name (Born-Died) |
Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||
| 1 |  |
Dušan Simović (1882–1962) |
27 April 1941 |
12 January 1942 |
Independent (Royal Yugoslav Army) |
| 2 | .jpg) |
Slobodan Jovanović (1869–1958) |
12 January 1942 |
18 June 1943 |
Independent |
| 3 |  |
Miloš Trifunović (1871–1957) |
18 June 1943 |
10 August 1943 |
People's Radical Party (NRS) |
| 4 |  |
Božidar Purić (1891–1977) |
10 August 1943 |
8 July 1944 |
Independent |
| 5 |  |
Ivan Šubašić (1892–1955) |
8 July 1944 |
7 March 1945 |
Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) |
