Republic of Užice
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The Republic of Užice (Serbo-Croatian: Užička Republika) was a short-lived military mini-state that existed in Autumn 1941 in the western part of Nazi-occupied Serbia. The Republic was established by the fighters of the Partisan resistance movement and its capital was in the town of Užice. Its territory was no larger than about 200 km².
The Republic of Užice comprised almost all of western Serbia and had a population of more than 300,000 people. It was located between the line Valjevo-Bajina Bašta in the north, the river Drina in the west, the river Zapadna Morava in the east, and the Sandžak region in the south.
The government comprised "people's councils" (odbors), and the Communists opened schools and published a newspaper, Borba (meaning "Struggle").
In November 1941, the German troops occupied this territory again, while the majority of Partisan forces escaped towards Bosnia, Sandžak and Montenegro.
However, history later proved that the Republic of Užice was indeed the first liberated territory in Nazi-conquered Europe.
