republic · Balkans and Hungary

Republic of Užice

1941 CE – 1941 CE · capital Užice

Liberated territory in western Serbia held by Tito's Partisans in autumn 1941, the first large free zone in occupied Europe.

Origins

In the uprising of summer 1941 against the German occupation of Serbia, Communist-led Partisans and Chetnik units liberated much of western Serbia. The Partisans took Užice on 24 September 1941, and Josip Broz Tito set up his headquarters there, making the town the centre of a liberated territory covering several districts.

Rule and society

Local people's liberation committees took over administration, schools and supplies, while the town's arms factory produced rifles and ammunition in an underground vault, and the Communist newspaper Borba was printed there. Relations with Draža Mihailović's Chetniks broke down into open fighting in early November 1941.

Decline and legacy

A German offensive in late November 1941 retook Užice, and the Partisans withdrew into the Sandžak and eastern Bosnia, where they formed the First Proletarian Brigade. Under the later Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Užice was renamed Titovo Užice.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Užice. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-uzice
MLA
“Republic of Užice.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-uzice. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Užice.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-uzice.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Užice’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-uzice (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻