Slobodan Jovanović

Infobox Celebrity
name = Slobodan Jovanović
( _sr. Слободан Јовановић)


birth_date = birth date|1869|12|3|mf=y
birth_place = Novi Sad, Austria-Hungary (now Serbia)
death_date = death date and age|1958|12|12|1869|12|3|mf=y
death_place = London, United Kingdom
occupation = Jurist, Historian, Prime minister of the Yugoslav government in exile.
ethnicity = Serbian
nationality = flag|Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Slobodan Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Јовановић) (December 3, 1869, Novi Sad, Austria-Hungary (now Serbia) - December 12, 1958, London, United Kingdom) was one of Serbia's most prolific jurists, historians, sociologists and journalists. He distinguished himself with the characteristically clear and sharp writing style later called the"Belgrade style".

Liberal in his social and political views, he was perhaps Yugoslavia’s greatest authority on constitutional law; also a master of Serbian prose style, he was for nearly half a century a leader of the Serbian intelligentsia. He graduated law in Geneva in 1890. In 1905, he became of professor of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law. He kept this position until 1941.

Biography

He had some influence on political life in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia due to his well established authority in the field of law and history, but he entered directly political life only in 1939 when the Serbian Cultural Club was established, and he was appointed as Club's president.

He was a pro-Western politician and when a pro-Western military coup toook place in Belgrade on March 27, 1941, a pro-Western, essentially pro-British government was installed headed by General Dusan Simovic. Jovanovic was deputy Prime Minister in that government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The Third Reich attacked the Kingdoms of Yugoslavia and Greece on April 6, and soon defeated Yugoslav and Greek forces. Jovanovic moved in mid April together with King Peter II and other cabinet ministers to Jerusalem and he reached London in July. He became prime minister of the Yugoslav government in exile during World War II on January 11, 1942 and remained in that position till June 26, 1943. Tried in absence by Tito's communist regime together with general Draža Mihailović, he was sentenced to twenty years in jail which he never served, as well as the loss of political and civil rights for a period of ten years, and confiscation of all property and loss of citizenship.

He spent his later years in exile in London (1945-1958). A memorial plaque in honour of "Professor Slobodan Yovanovitch. Serbian historian, literary critic, legal scholar, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia" may be found in London at 39b Queens Gate Gardens, Kensington.

After unofficial rehabilitation in 1989, his collected works were published in 1991. In Serbia, he is universally regarded as one of the most influential political thinkers of the turn of the century. Leading Serbian quality daily Politika on the occasion of his 70th birthday concluded that "his name has been carved as the highest peak of our culture up to now". ["Sedamdeset godina zivota gospodina Slobodana Jovanovica" [Sventy Years of Life of Mr. Slobodan Jovanovic] , "Politika", December 4, 1939, p. 9.] In the same issue four most prominent Serbian intellectuals assessed very hghly his accomplishemts as a historian, jurist, sociologist and writer.

His analysis of the Karađorđević and Obrenović rulers ranks among the clearest and most astute. In Serbia, he initiated discussion about previously little known subjects (such as the question of cultural patterns). He also distinguished himself with literary criticism and essays on topics ranging from art to culture and politics.

Jovanovic became a full member of the Serbian Royal Academy in 1908, and its President from 1928 till 1931. He was also a correspondent member of the Yugoslav Academy of Science in Zagreb from 1927.

He was one of the most prominent intellectuals of his time. In his career, he was a lawyer, historian, writer, president of the Serbian Royal Academy (now Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts), professor and rector at Belgrade University, and finally, deputy prime minister and prime minister of the Royal Yugoslav Government in exile.

His collected works were published in 17 volumes in 1939-1940. Although his works were not officially banned any new issue of his books was not permitted in communist Yugoslavia until late 1980s. Finally, a new edition of his collected works was published in Belgrade in 12 volumes in 1991. Since 2003 his portrait is shown on the 5000 dinar banknote of the National Bank of Serbia, and his bust stands at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade. Official rehabilitation occurred on October 26, 2007 by the court in Belgrade.

His father was Vladimir Jovanović (1833-1922), a famous Serbian liberal economist and politician. He was inspired by John Stuart Mill's essay "On Liberty" and he baptised his son Slobodan ("sloboda" means freedom, liberty in Serbian) in 1869. Thus Slobodan Jovanović was the first "Slobodan" among Serbs.

Works

"О суверености", Београд 1897 ["On Sovereignty", Belgrade, 1897] .

"О дводомном систему", Београд 1899 ["On Bicameral System", Belgrade, 1899] .

"Велика народна скупштина", Београд 1900 ["Great People's Assembly", Belgrade, 1900] .

"Српско-бугарски рат. Расправа из дипломатске историје", Београд 1901 ["Serbo-Bulgarian War. A paper in diplomatic history"] , Belgrade 1901] .

"Светотар Марковић", Београд 1903 ["Svetozar Markovic", Belgrade 1903] .

"Основи правне теорије о држави", Београд 1906 ["An Introducation to the Legal Theory on State", Belgrade, 1906] .

"Основи јавног права Краљевине Србије", Београд 1907-1909 ["An Introduction to the Public Law of the Kingdom of Serbia", Belgrade, 1907-1909, in two volumes] .

"Макиавели", Београд 1907.

"Полититчке и правне расправе", Београд 1908-1910 ["Political and Legal Considerations", Belgrade, 1908-1910, in two volumes] .

"Уставобранитељи и њихова влада", Српска краљевска академија, Београд 1912 ["Constitutionalists and their Government" (Belgrade: Serbian Royal Academy, 1912).

"Университетско питање", Београд 1914 ["University Question", Belgrade, 1914] .

"Вођи француске револуције", Београд 1920 ["Leaders of the French Revolution", Belgrade, 1920] .

"О држави", Београд 1922 ["On State", Belgrade, 1922] .

"Друга влада Милоша и Михаила", Београд 1923 ["The Second Rule of Milosh and Michael", Belgrade, 1923] .

"Уставно право Краљевине Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца", Београд 1924 ["Constitutional Law of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes", Belgrade, 1924] .

"Влада Милана Обреновића", Геца Кон, Београд 1926-1927 ["The Rule of Milan Obrenovich" (Belgrade: Geca Kon, 1926-1927), in two volumes] .

"Влада Александра Обреновића", Геца Кон, Београд 1929-1931. ["The Rule of Alexander Obrenovich" (Belgrade: Geca Kon, 1929-1931, in two volumes] .

"Из историје политичких доктрина", Београд 1935 [From the History of Political Doctrines, Belgrade, 1935] .

"Гледстон", Југо-исток, Београд 1938 [Slobodan Jovanovic, Gladstone (Belgrade: Jugo-istok, 1938)] .

"Амерички федерализам", Београд 1939 ["American Federalism", Belgrade, 1939] .

"Примери политичке социологије, Енглеска, Француска, Немачка 1815-1914", Београд 1940 [Examples of Political Sociology: England, France and Germany, 1815-1914, Belgrade, 1940] .

"О тоталитаризму", Ослобођење, Париз 1952 ["On Totalitarianism" (Paris: Oslobodjenje, 1952] .

"Један прилог за проучавање српског националног карактера", Виндзор - Канада 1964 ["A Contribution to the Study of the Serbian National Character", Windsor /Canada/, 1964] .

"Записи о проблемима и људима", 1941-1944, Лондон 1976 ["Notes on Problems and Individuals", 1941-1944, London, 1976)]

Papers in English

Slobodan Jovanovich, "Tito and the Western World" (reprinted from "The Eastern Quarterly"), London, 1952, pp. 6.

Slobodan Jovanovich, "On the New Machiavellism" (reprented from "The Eastern Quarterly"), London, 1952, pp. 5.

Notes

References

1 "Politika", December 4, 1939, p. 9.
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9044035&query=Slobodan%20Jovanovic&ct= Britannica]
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