Serbian-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic

Origins

Yugoslav forces occupied Pécs and the coal-mining region of Baranya in November 1918. The area became a refuge for Hungarian socialists, communists and liberals fleeing the White Terror. When the Treaty of Trianon returned the area to Hungary, they proclaimed the Serbian-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic on 14 August 1921, with the painter Petar Dobrović as president.

Rule and society

The republic was a last-minute attempt to stop the return of Horthy's regime, and hoped either for independence or union with Yugoslavia. It had a provisional government and relied on miners' support, but had no means of defence once Yugoslav troops left.

Decline and legacy

Hungarian troops entered Pécs on 21 and 22 August 1921, ending the republic after about a week. Thousands of its supporters fled to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and the region returned to the Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946).