Tito-Šubašic Agreement
Encyclopedia
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 territories.
It was signed on the Dalmatia
n island of Vis
(in Croatia
) on June 17, 1944. by Josip Broz Tito
, the leader of the Partisans, and Ivan Šubašić
, Prime Minister of the Royal Government in exile and previous ban
(governor) of autonomuos Croatia
in the pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The actual formation of a new government was postponed until November 2, 1944, when the Belgrade Agreement was signed. According to its provision, an interim government was to be formed until the people would decide the form of government in democratic elections. Šubašić became the foreign minister in a coalition government led by Tito. The real power remained however in the Communist-led Anti-Fascist Liberation Council of Yugoslavia
.
The agreement also included a specific mention that Yugoslavia would be transformed into a democratic and federal
country after the end of the war. Since the issue on its form of government (monarchy or republic) was postponed to after the war, the official name of the country in the meantime was "Democratic Federal Yugoslavia" (Serbian: Demokratska Federativna Jugoslavija, DFJ).
The signature of the agreement was pushed by Winston Churchill
, who had his people watching over the negotiations, on hand but hands off, as described in Eastern Approaches
: Ralph Stevenson
, ambassador to the government in exile, and Fitzroy MacLean, the soldier-ambassador liaison to Tito. Britain thought the agreement would bring a democratic post-war system in Yugoslavia, but it granted full legitimacy and international recognition to Tito's government. Furthermore, the Chetniks
, who had previously fought in the King's name, were left without a legitimate covering for their existence, since King Peter
recognized Tito's insurgent army as the only legal force fighting the Nazi occupation in Yugoslavia and dismissed Draža Mihailović
because of collaboration with the Axis.
The Treaty became obsolete after the elections (conducted with British oversight) in Autumn 1945, which confirmed the absolute Communist supremacy in the country. Šubašić and other officials appointed by the King resigned in October 1945. On November 29, 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia
was declared.
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...
in exile with the Communist-led Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
who were fighting the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
occupation of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and were de facto rulers on the liberated territories.
It was signed on the 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....
n 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...
(in 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 ...
) on June 17, 1944. by Josip Broz 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...
, the leader of the Partisans, and Ivan Šubašić
Ivan Šubašic
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...
, Prime Minister of the Royal Government in exile and previous 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...
(governor) of autonomuos 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...
in the pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The actual formation of a new government was postponed until November 2, 1944, when the Belgrade Agreement was signed. According to its provision, an interim government was to be formed until the people would decide the form of government in democratic elections. Šubašić became the foreign minister in a coalition government led by Tito. The real power remained however in the Communist-led Anti-Fascist Liberation Council of Yugoslavia
AVNOJ
The Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia, known more commonly by its Yugoslav abbreviation AVNOJ, was the political umbrella organization for the national liberation councils of the Yugoslav resistance against the World War II Axis occupation, eventually becoming the...
.
The agreement also included a specific mention that Yugoslavia would be transformed into a democratic and federal
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
country after the end of the war. Since the issue on its form of government (monarchy or republic) was postponed to after the war, the official name of the country in the meantime was "Democratic Federal Yugoslavia" (Serbian: Demokratska Federativna Jugoslavija, DFJ).
The signature of the agreement was pushed by 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...
, who had his people watching over the negotiations, on hand but hands off, as described in Eastern Approaches
Eastern Approaches
Eastern Approaches is an autobiographical account of the early career of Fitzroy Maclean. It is divided into three parts: his life as a junior diplomat in Moscow and his travels in the Soviet Union, especially the forbidden zones of Central Asia; his exploits in the British Army and SAS in the...
: Ralph Stevenson
Ralph Stevenson
Sir Ralph Clarmont Skrine Stevenson, GCMG, MLC, CP was a British diplomat.In 1943, he was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a post he held until 1946. Stevenson was Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt from 1950 to...
, ambassador to the government in exile, and Fitzroy MacLean, the soldier-ambassador liaison to Tito. Britain thought the agreement would bring a democratic post-war system in Yugoslavia, but it granted full legitimacy and international recognition to Tito's government. Furthermore, the 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...
, who had previously fought in the King's name, were left without a legitimate covering for their existence, since King Peter
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
recognized Tito's insurgent army as the only legal force fighting the Nazi occupation in Yugoslavia and dismissed Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
because of collaboration with the Axis.
The Treaty became obsolete after the elections (conducted with British oversight) in Autumn 1945, which confirmed the absolute Communist supremacy in the country. Šubašić and other officials appointed by the King resigned in October 1945. On November 29, 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
was declared.