Creation of the first Yugoslavia

Dr. Sotirovic's book is a welcome investigation into the political ideas and strategies immediately preceding and leading to the creation of the first Yugoslav state. Utilizing an apt selection of primary as well as secondary sources Dr. Sotirovic builds a historical narrative around a central plot of state- and nation- building, which is focused on the intense war-years (1914-1918) although taking departure a few decades earlier. The author investigates the various options, objectives, and ideas of a Yugoslav state, such as the question of a federal or unitary state, a republic or monarchy, etc. and builds a narrative around the positions of various agents and the shifting relations between them. Thus, especially the triad of the Serbian Government, the Yugoslav Committee, and the National Council, and their mutual as well as conflicting interests, is analyzed in some detail. Their respective positions and interests is interwoven with an analyzes of the shifting relations and positions of the Great powers of the time [Jens Stilhoff Sorensen, Doctor of History and Civilization, Swedish Institute of International Affairs]