Categories

Dr Zoran Janjetović
Institute for Recent History of Serbia
Belgrade, Serbia

 

DIMITRIJE LJOTIĆ AND WORLD WAR II

Vol. XXXVI, 1/2018, pp. 93–118
https://doi.org/10.29362/ist20veka.2018.1.jan.93-118

 

ABSTRACT/RESUME: The paper deals with the activity of the controversial right-wing politician Dimitrije Ljotić during the German occupation of Serbia 1941–1944. Ljotić was the leader of the fascist-like movement Zbor that strove to reform Yugoslavia along the authoritarian lines. Its salient features were anticommunism and anti-Semitism. These features, especially anti-Semitism, became more prominent during the late 1930s. Ljotić aimed his political and propaganda activity at keeping Yugoslavia out of the war. To that aim, he suggested a number of authoritarian reforms. Under German occupation the movement was the only that was permitted to operate. Although he shared some of the ideological views of the Nazis, Ljotić collaborated with them in the interest of his people, as he believed. He put the blame for WWII on the Jews who according to him, strove for world dominance. Thus he did nothing to prevent deportation and extermination of his Jewish fellow-countrymen and he indulged in Jew-baiting until the very end of the war. No less rabid was his anti-communism. He fought it ideologically through the press, and with weapons – through the Serbian Volunteer Corps under Zbor’s domination. He also set up a penitentiary re-educational institution for communist youths. In that way he showed he was not a low-brow anti-communist who believed only in violence. Although often termed eminence grise of the collaborationist regime, the extent of his actual influence remains disputed. It seems it was substantial, but not overwhelming: he did help set up the collaborationist governments and had influence on them, but it was not decisive. His adherents were also persecuted by the German and Serbian police, and only part of higher officials were members of the Zbor. The realm of education was in the hands of Ljotić’s opponents. He helped install his relative Milan Nedić as prime minister, but he could not influence him on many points and the rivalry between the two men was obvious. Nedić’s plan for reorganization of Serbia along authoritarian lines did not bear the Zbor’s features but was rather a copy of the Italian political system. By wanting to help his people under occupation, Ljotić fell victim to his own limitations that prevented him from realizing the true meaning of WWII and forced him to put up with people and phenomena that he had so severely criticized before the war.

 

KEYWORDS: Dimitrije Ljotić, Zbor, WWII, occupation, Jews, Germans, Milan Nedić

 

REFERENCES:

  • Aleksić, Dragan. Privreda Srbije u Drugom svetskom ratu. Beograd: INIS, 2002.
  • Bedürftig, Friedemann. Drittes Reich und Zweiter Weltkrieg: Das Lexikon. München, Zürich: Piper, 2004.
  • Bojić, Mirko. Jugoslovenski narodni pokret „Zbor“ 1935–1945: Jedan kritički prilaz. [Beograd]: Zakoni života–Svetlo istine, 1996.
  • Borković, Milan. SKOJ i omladinski pokret u Srbiji 1941–1944. Beograd: Rad, 1970.
  • Borković, Milan. Kontrarevolucija u Srbiji, I–II. Beograd: Sloboda, 1979.
  • Borković, Milan. Milan Nedić. Zagreb: Centar za informacije i publicitet, 1985.
  • Borozan, Đorđe. Velika Albanija: Porijeklo – ideje – praksa. Beograd: Vojnoistorijski institut Vojske Jugoslavije, 1995.
  • Borozan Đorđe, and Ljubodrag Dimić (eds.). Jugoslovenska država i Albanci, vol. I–II. Beograd: Arhiv Jugoslavije, 1998–1999.
  • Božović, Branislav. Stradanje Jevreja u okupiranom Beogradu 1941–1944. Beograd: Muzej žrtava genocida, 2012. (2nd expanded ed.).
  • Brkić, Staniša. Ime i broj. Kragujevačka tragedija 1941. Kragujevac: Spomen-park Kragujevački oktobar, 2007.
  • Čulinović, Ferdo. Okupatorska podjela Jugoslavije. Beograd: Vojnoizdavački centar, 1970.
  • Dimitrijević, Bojan B. Vojska Nedićeve Srbije: Oružane snage srpske vlade 1941–1945. Beograd: ISI, 2011.
  • Dragosavljević, Vasilije: „Ideološki uticaji evropskog fašizma na JNP Zbor (1934–1940)“. Istorijska tribina mladih saradnika. Urednik Zoran Janjetović, 93–111. Beograd: INIS, 2013.
  • Gligorijević, Branislav. „Napad ljotićevaca na studente Tehničkog fakulteta u Beogradu, u oktobru 1940. i rasturanje Ljotićevog „Zbora““. Istorijski glasnik, 16, (1963), 52–79.
  • Gligorijević, Branislav. „Politički pokreti i grupe s nacionalsocijalističkom ideologijom i njihova fuzija u Ljotićevom „Zboru““. Istorijski glasnik, 18, (1965), 35–82.
  • Gligorijević, Branislav. „Osobenosti fašizma u Jugoslaviji dvadesetih godina“. Marksistička misao, 8, (1986), 32–44.
  • Gregorić, Danilo. Italijanski korporativizam. Istorijat, doktrina i praksa. Beograd: Štamparija Đura Jakšić, 1940.
  • Halperin, William S. Mussolini and Italian Fascism. Princeton NJ: Anvil Books, 1964.
  • Hoptner, Jakob B. Yugoslavia in Crisis 1934–1941. New York, London: Columbia University Press, 1962.
  • Hnilicka, Karl. Das Ende auf dem Balkan 1944/45. Göttingen, Zürich, Frankfurt: Musterschmidt Verlag, [1970].
  • Iordachi, Constantin (ed.). Comparative Fascist Studies. New Perspectives. London, New York: Routledge, 2010.
  • Irving, David. Hitler’s War and The War Path. London: Focal Point, 2002.
  • Izveštaji i naredbe organizacije DM i organizacije Zbor za Okrug zaječarski 1943–1944. godina, III. Negotin: Istorijski arhiv Negotin, 2008.
  • Janjetović, Zoran. Deca careva, pastorčad kraljeva: Nacionalne manjine u Jugoslaviji 1918–1941. Beograd: INIS, 2005.
  • Janjetović, Zoran. „U skladu s nastalom potrebom…“ Prinudni rad u okupiranoj Srbiji 1941–1944. Beograd: INIS, 2012.
  • Jovanović, Dragoljub. Ljudi, ljudi… Medaljoni 46 umrlih savremenika. Beograd: izdanje autora, 1975.
  • Jovanović, Žarko S.. Neostvareni ratni ciljevi Draže Mihailovića u Srbiji 1941–1945. Beograd: INIS, 2001.
  • Karapandžić, Borivoje M. Građanski rat u Srbiji 1941–1945. Klivelend, Valjevo: Novo videlo, 2010.
  • Kazimirović, Vasa. Srbija i Jugoslavija, IV. Kragujevac: Centar-film, Prizma, 1995.
  • Kerkez, Slobodan Đ. Obrazovno-kulturne prilike u Nedićevoj Srbiji. Niš: Centar za balkanske studije, 2008.
  • Koljanin, Milan. „Antisemitski stereotipi i propaganda u Srbiji 1941–1942.“ Istorija 20. veka, 2, (2003), 83–118.
  • Kostić, Boško N. Za istoriju naših dana. Odlomci iz zapisa za vreme okupacije. Beograd: Nova iskra, 2011.
  • Krakov, Stanislav. General Milan Nedić, II: Prepuna čaša čemera. Beograd: Nova iskra, 2012.
  • Krstić, Miloš. Nepokorena mladost. Koncentracioni logor u Smederevskoj Palanci 1942–1944. Beograd: Vuk Karadžić, 1981.
  • Kuljić, Todor. Fašizam. Sociološko-istorijska studija. Beograd: Nolit, 1987.
  • Lacko, Mikloš. „Fašizam u istočnoj i srednjoj Evropi: Prilog opštoj definiciji fašizma“. Marksistička misao, 8, (1986), 120–136.
  • Milza, P., Berstein, Storia del fascismo: Da Piazza San Sepolcro a Piazza Loreto. Milano: BUR, 1995.
  • Larsen, Stein Ugelvik, Bernt Hagtvet, Jan Petter Myklebust, (eds.). Who Were the Fascists: Social Roots of European Fascism. Bergen, Oslo, Tromsø: Universitetsforlaget, 1980.
  • Lukač, Dušan. Treći rajh i zemlje jugoistočne Evrope, II, 1937–1941. Beograd: Vojnoizdavački centar, 1982.
  • Ljotić, Dimitrije. Sabrana dela, Vol. I–XII. Beograd: Nova iskra, 2001.
  • Magazinović, Hrvoje. Kroz jedno mučno stoljeće: Sjećanja. Valjevo: Novo videlo, 2009 (2nd expanded edition).
  • Martinović-Bajica, Petar. Milan Nedić. Čikago: Nikola Pašić, 1956.
  • Matić, Milan B. Štampa u Srbiji u Drugom svetskom ratu 1941–1944. Beograd: Ph. D. mscr., 1990.
  • Milićević Nataša, Dušan Nikodijević, (eds.). Svakodnevni život pod okupacijom: Iskustvo jednog Beograđanina 1941–1944. Beograd: INIS, 2011.
  • Milosavljević, Olivera. Potisnuta istina. Kolaboracija u Srbiji 1941–1944. Beograd: Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava u Srbiji, [2006.].
  • Milošević, Slobodan D. Nemačko-italijanski odnosi na teritoriji okupirane Jugoslavije 1941–1943. Beograd: ISI, 1991.
  • Mussolini, Benito. Fascismo, in: www.tereccani.it/enciclopedia/fascismo_ (Enciclopedia italiana)
  • Nikolić, Kosta. „Nemačka ratna propaganda u Srbiji 1941–1944“. Jugoslovenski istorijski časopis, 1, (1997), 117–128.
  • Nikolić, Kosta. Strah i nada u Srbiji 1941–1944: Svakodnevni život pod okupacijom. Beograd: Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva, 2002.
  • Nikolić Kosta, Bojan B. Dimitrijević. Danilo Gregorić i 25. mart 1941. Beograd: ISI, 2007.
  • Nedić, Milan Đ. Desna Srbija: Moja reč Srbima 1941–1944: Izabrani ratni govori. Beograd: Slobodna knjiga, 1996.
  • Nikolova, Maja. Zavod za prinudno vaspitanje omladine u Smederevskoj Palanci 1942–1944. Beograd: Pedagoški muzej, 2010.
  • Nolte, Ernst. Die Krise des liberalen Systems und die faschistischen Bewegungen. München: Piper, 1968.
  • Parežanin, Ratko. Drugi svetski rat i Dimitrije V. Ljotić. Beograd: A. Z. Jelić, P. Janković, 7510 [2002.].
  • Payne, Stanley G. A History of Fascism 1914–1945. London, New York: Routledge, 2003.
  • Petranović, Branko. Srbija u Drugom svetskom ratu 1939–1945. Beograd: Vojnoizdavački i novinski centar, 1992.
  • Pivac, Marko. Koraci u noći. l. : Novo videlo, [2002].
  • Propadović, Milutin. V. Ljotić, Zbor i Komunistička partija Jugoslavije 1934–1945: Prilozi za istinu o JNP Zbor. Beograd: Iskra, 2012.
  • Schlarp, Karl-Heinz. Wirtschaft und Besatzung in Serbien 1941–1944: Ein Beitrag zur nationalsozialistischen Wirtschaftspolitik in Südosteuropa. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1986.
  • Simić, Miodrag. „Škole u Beogradu za vreme okupacije od 1941. do 1944. godine“. Godišnjak grada Beograda, 21, (1971), 75–117.
  • Stefanović, Mladen. Zbor Dimitrija Ljotića 1934–1945. Beograd: Narodna knjiga, 1984.
  • Šabo, Federiko. Italija (1918–1948). [Beograd: Nolit, 1978].
  • Škodrić, Ljubinka. Ministarstvo prosvete i vera u Srbiji 1941–1944: Sudbina institucije pod okupacijom. Beograd: Arhiv Srbije, 2009.
  • Škodrić, Ljubinka. „Odnos nemačkog okupatora prema domaćim saradnicima u Srbiji 1941–1944“. Oslobođenje Beograda 1944, Zbornik radova. Beograd: INIS, 2010, 82–94.
  • Vojčić, Dragoslav. „Školstvo u okupiranoj Srbiji tokom Drugog svetskog rata“. Nastava i vaspitanje, 22, (1973), 234–248.
  • Vojnović, Aleksandar. NDH u Beogradu. Zagreb: Naklada Pavičić,
  • Wuescht, Johann. Jugoslawien und das Dritte Reich: Eine dokumentierte Geschichte deutsch-jugoslawischen Beziehungen von 1933 bis 1945. Stuttgart: Seewald Verlag, 1969.
  • Žorž, Branislav A. Zavod u Smederevskoj Palanci: Ostrvo spasa ili robijašnica. Beograd: Novo videlo, 2006.
  • Žujović, Mladen J. Ratni dnevnik, II: Jugoslavija u Drugom svetskom ratu. Vrnjačka Banja: Interklima-grafika, 2004.