Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina


The Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was one of two political entities formed in Yugoslavia after World War II and one of the two autonomous provinces of Serbia within the Yugoslavia, between 1945 and the breakup of Yugoslavia. Until 1963, the province was named Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and had a lower level of autonomy.

1944–1963

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was formed in 1944. It 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 the newly formed provincial administration functioned independently from Serbia. The temporary borders of Vojvodina included the regions of Banat, Bačka and Baranja and most of the region of Syrmia with Zemun. The 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 17 October 1944 to 27 January 1945, most of the province was under military administration.
In 30–31 July 1945, the provincial assembly of Vojvodina decided that the province should join Serbia. This decision was confirmed in the third AVNOJ assembly on 10 August 1945, and the law that regulated the autonomous status of Vojvodina within Serbia was adopted on 1 September 1945. The final borders of Vojvodina with Croatia and Central Serbia were 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. A small part of northern Mačva near Sremska Mitrovica was assigned to Vojvodina. The capital city of the province was Novi Sad, which was also the capital of the 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 the 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.

Demographics

; 1948 census
; 1953 census
; 1961 census

1963–1990

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:
The only authorised political party in the province was the League of Communists of Vojvodina, which was part of the League of Communists of Serbia and part of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
The Constitution of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was the higher juridical act of the province.

Institutions

Institutions of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina included:
Presidents of presidency of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina: