Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina

Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Vojvodina
Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Војводина
Autonomous province of Serbia in Yugoslavia
←
1945–1992 →


Flag

Vojvodina (dark red) in Serbia (light red), within Yugoslavia
Capital Novi Sad
Languages Serbo-Croatian
Government Autonomous province
Historical era Cold War
 -  Established 1945
 -  Disestablished 1992
Area
 -  1991 21,506 km² (8,304 sq mi)
Population
 -  1991 est. 1,952,533 
     Density 90.8 /km²  (235.1 /sq mi)
Currency Yugoslav dinar

The Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Serbo-Croatian: Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Vojvodina, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Војводина; often abbreviated SAP Vojvodina) was one of the two autonomous provinces of Serbia within Yugoslavia (the other being Kosovo), between 1946 and the breakup of Yugoslavia. Until 1963 the province was named Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Autonomna Pokrajina Vojvodina, Аутономна Покрајина Војводина), and enjoyed a lower level of autonomy.

1945–1963

Political situation in 1944-1945
Ethnic map (1961)

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was an autonomous province of Serbia, within the larger Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1963, when it was transformed into the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

History

The province was formed in October 1944 when Soviet Red Army and Yugoslav partisans expelled Axis troops from the region. In this time, the final political status of the province was not yet determined and newly formed provincial administration functioned independently from Serbia. Temporary borders of Vojvodina included regions of Banat, Bačka and Baranja and most of the region of Syrmia with Zemun. De jure temporary border between Vojvodina and Croatia in Syrmia was Vukovar-Vinkovci-Županja line. De facto, western parts of Syrmia remained under Axis military control until April 1945. From October 17, 1944 to January 27, 1945, most of the province (Banat, Bačka and Baranja regions) was under military administration.

In July 30–31, 1945, the provincial assembly of Vojvodina decided that province should join Serbia. This decision was confirmed in the third AVNOJ assembly in August 10, 1945, while the law that regulated autonomous status of Vojvodina within Serbia was adopted in September 1, 1945. Final borders of Vojvodina with Croatia and Central Serbia were also defined in 1945: Baranja and western Syrmia were assigned to Croatia, while small parts of Banat and Syrmia near Belgrade were assigned to Central Serbia. In the same time, small northern part of Mačva near Sremska Mitrovica was assigned to Vojvodina. Capital city of the province was Novi Sad, which was also the capital of former Danube Banovina province that existed before World War II.

Since 1945, Vojvodina enjoyed a limited level of autonomy within Serbia. In 1963, the name of the province was changed to Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Under the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, the province gained extensive rights of self-rule, which defined Vojvodina as one of the subjects of the Yugoslav federation, and also gave it voting rights equivalent to Serbia itself on the country's collective presidency (See also: Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina).

Demographics

1948 census
Ethnicity Number %
Serbs 841,246 50.6
Hungarians 428,932 25.8
Croats 134,232 8.1
Slovaks 72,032 4.3
Romanians 59,263 3.6
Germans 31,821 1.9
Montenegrins 30,589 1.9
Rusyns and Ukrainians 22,083 1.3
Macedonians 9,090 0.5
Romani 7,585 0.4
Slovenes 7,223 0.4
Russians 5,148 0.3
Czechs 3,976 0.3
Bulgarians 3,501 0.2
Yugoslavs 1,050 0.1
Others 5,441 0.3
1953 census
Ethnicity Number %
Serbs 865,538 50.9
Hungarians 435,179 25.6
Croats 127,027 7.5
Slovaks 71,153 4.2
Romanians 57,218 3.4
Montenegrins 30,516 1.8
Rusyns 23,038 1.4
Macedonians 11,622 0.7
Others 78,254 4.6
1961 census
Ethnicity Number %
Serbs 1,017,713 54.9
Hungarians 442,560 23.9
Croats 145,341 7.8
Slovaks 73,830 4
Romanians 57,259 3.1
Montenegrins 34,782 1.9
Rusyns 23,038 1.4
Macedonians 11,622 0.7
Others 83,480 4.4

1963–1990

Ethnic map (1971)
Ethnic map (1981)

The Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was one of the two socialist autonomous provinces of the Socialist Republic of Serbia from 1963 to 1990 and one of the federal units of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1974 to 1990. Its capital was Novi Sad.

History

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina that was created in 1944 enjoyed only the small level of autonomy within Serbia since 1945. In 1963, the name of the province was changed to Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Under the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, the province gained extensive rights of self-rule, which defined Vojvodina as one of the subjects of the Yugoslav federation, and also gave it voting rights equivalent to Serbia itself on the country's collective presidency.

Under the rule of the Serbian president Slobodan Milošević, Vojvodina and Kosovo lost most of their autonomy on 28 September 1990. After this, the Vojvodina was no longer a subject of the Yugoslav federation, but again only the autonomous province of Serbia, with limited level of autonomy. The name of the province was also reverted to Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

Demographics

According to the 1981 census, the population of the province included:

Politics

The only authorised political party in the province was the League of Communists of Vojvodina (Savez komunista Vojvodine), which was part of the League of Communists of Serbia (Savez komunista Srbije) and part of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Savez komunista Jugoslavije).

The Constitution of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Ustav Socijalističke Autonomne Pokrajine Vojvodine) was the higher juridical act of the province.

Institutions

Institutions of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina included:

Presidents

Presidents of presidency of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina:

Sources

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to SAP Vojvodina.