In 1918 the First World War ended and Yugoslavia came into being, but focusing only on these two events would be
reductionist. For a look at the calendar shows that for most of that year the Habsburg Monarchy was still in place and the war was in progress. But there is no point problematising a focus on the autumn turning point merely from a chronological perspective. Much more important are the substantive aspects of a somewhat different viewpoint, which shows that 1918 was marked just as much by continuity as by change. Not only did the war drag on until early November of that year, but armed clashes in the east and south-east of Europe continued after that point. Continuity is apparent also in other areas. The Habsburg Monarchy may have disintegrated, but many laws, bank notes and other things remained in place.
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