Everything about The Banat Republic totally explained
The
Banat Republic (, ) was a short-lived state, proclaimed in
Timişoara, on
November 1,
1918, as the
Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. The republic was an attempt to preserve the integrity of the multi-ethnic
Banat region in the face of claims from rival nations. It was the only period of history when Banat formed an independent country.
History
On
October 31,
1918, military councils were established by nationalities living in Banat:
Romanian,
Hungarian,
German,
Jewish and
Serb. At a meeting, Dr
Otto Roth, a member of the Social Democratic Party, proposed the creation of an autonomous Banat People's Council with representatives from each ethnic group, but the Romanian officers distanced themselves from this objective as long as there was no resolution on the matter from the Romanian National Council.
The leading members of the Social Democratic Party decided however to proclaim the republic the day after, and on
November 1,
1918, Otto Roth proclaimed the Republic of Banat from the balcony of the Timişoara local council. The civil leader of the Republic was Dr Roth while the military commander was
Albert Barta. The Government of
Hungary recognized the independence of the Banat Republic.
The same day the founding meeting of the Banat People's Council took place with 20 members from the city council, 60 members from the military national councils, 40 representatives from the workers councils and 70 from the bourgeois parties. Then an Executive committee of 20 members was elected.
The authority of the People's Council was however not respected because the Romanian ethnic plurality didn't want autonomy without the realisation of their national aspiration, the reunification with
Romania.
The Banat National Council organized military squads and a civil guard (on
November 4), with a goal to establish control over the entire territory of the
Banat. However, the Banat Republic was to be a short-lived state and this goal wasn't achieved. On
November 15,
1918,
Serbian troops entered the Banat and put an end to the Republic. The national councils were dismantled by the Serbian forces on
February 21,
1919. A few months later, following the
Alba-Iulia Resolution and Great People's Assembly in
Novi Sad, the Banat region was divided primarily between
Romania and the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed to
Yugoslavia).
On
April 16,
1920,
ethnic Germans from the Banat sent a request to the
Paris Peace Conference asking for the re-establishment of the Republic under the name of the
Republic of Banatia. According to the request, this new republic would include not only the
Banat, but also the neighbouring region of
Bačka. The republic would be divided into cantons, each administered by the plurality or the majority ethnic group. However, the Peace Conference rejected this proposal.
Population
The population of the Republic was 1,582,133, of which 592,049 (37.42%) were
Romanians, 387,545 (24.50%)
Germans, 284,329 (17.97%)
Serbs, and 242,152 (15.31%)
Hungarians, with smaller numbers of other ethnic groups such as the
Slovaks,
Croats, and
Rusins. The religious composition was as follows: 855,852 (54.10%) were
Orthodox Christians, 591,447 (37.38%) were
Roman Catholics, with a scattering of adherents of other religious groups such as
Calvinists,
Lutherans and
Jews.
Origins
The
Banat is a natural geographical
region in the
Pannonian plain. From
1552, it was an
Ottoman province, named
Eyalet of Temeşvar. After the
Treaty of Passarowitz of
1718, the region was a
Habsburg province named the
Banat of Temeswar. This province was abolished in
1778. Between 1849 and
1860, the Banat region, together with the
Bačka and
Srem, was part of a new Habsburg province, named
Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat. The capital of all these provinces was
Timişoara.
Sources
Literature
- Drago Njegovan, Prisajedinjenje Vojvodine Srbiji, Novi Sad, 2004.
- Milojko Brusin, Naša razgraničenja sa susedima 1919-1920, Novi Sad, 1998.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Banat Republic'.
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