The Vidovdan Constitution in the Light of Opposing Yugoslav Concepts

The author examines the constitutional process of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and identifies the issue of internal territorial delimitation as the hot spot in the dispute between the most influential political parties. It seems that their aims had roots in different national ideologies, which had been formed long before the idea of common South Slav state. Slovenian and Croatian nationalistic parties were inclined to the preservation of historical boundaries and advocated the federalisation of the state based on the national principle. On the other side, predominantly Serbian political parties managed to enforce the Vidovdan constitution, which completely ignored any kind of anti-unitary alternative. The author provides some new evidence of constitutional debate and concludes that the final constitution was in line with the idea of Greater Serbia and the idea of unitary Yugoslavia under the Serbian domination.

Keywords: Vidovdan constitution, state organisation, political strategy, federalism, local government.