Conflicting legal perspectives on the establishment of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes

Ivašković, Igor (author)

The analysis delves into the complex legal intricacies surrounding the establishment of South Slavic state entities post-World War I, as international law of the time didn’t fully encompass modern legal instruments defining international relations subjects. Nonetheless, legal arguments affirm the statehood of the State of SCS, formed within the former Austro-Hungarian Empire through legitimate representative bodies, despite lacking formal international recognition. The Croatian state transitioned governance under the National Council of SCS without abolishing its institutions. The analysis of the “December 1st Act” highlights procedural violations during the forming of the Kingdom of SCS, indicating a deviation from authorized scope, though it did not render the new state’s government illegitimate. The negotiating process favored Serbian authorities, evident in the “Vidovdan” Constitution, yet it doesn’t suffice to claim the State of SCS was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia. Legally, there’s little ambiguity, but disputes in international legal rulings and interpretations uncover internal political tensions and external pragmatic influences.

• Language: English
• Keywords: history, political geography, government
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 893-913
• Numbering: Vol. 42, iss. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176711
• UDC: 930
• ISSN on article: 0738-2480
• DOI: 10.1017/S0738248024000300
• COBISS.SI-ID: 218888707
• Publication date in RUL: 09.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Law and history review
• Shortened title: Law hist. rev.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 0738-2480
• COBISS.SI-ID: 513500697

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: zgodovina, politična geografija, vlada