Narodna Odbrana
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Narodna Odbrana (Serb Cyrillic: Народна обрана, literally, The People's Defense) was a Serbian nationalist group that was created around 1908 as a reaction to the Austria-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time, it was concerned with the protection of ethnic Serbs in Austria-Hungary. To achieve their goals, the Narodna Odbrana spread propaganda as well as organizing paramilitary forces.
[edit] Basic ideology
Given the wide region that Serbs inhabited, the people had never been unified under one single state. There had also been conflicts between them and other people such as the Bulgarians and Ottomans. With the Austria-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (where there was a heavy concentration of Serbs), the Serbs expressed a need for protection of the nation with a defensive organization, which was the Narodna Odbrana.
A 1911 pamphlet named Narodna Odbrana Izdanje Stredisnog Odbora Narodne Odbrane (Народна обрана издање стредисног одбора народне одбране) focused on six main points:
- Raising, inspiring, and strengthening the sentiment of nationality.
- Registration and enlistment of volunteers.
- Formation of volunteer units and their preparation for armed action.
- Collection of voluntary contributions, including money and other things necessary for the realization of its task.
- Organization, equipment, and training of special revolutionary band (Komitee), destined for special and independent military action.
- Development of activity for the defense of the Serbian people in all other directions.
The pamphlet makes it clear that hatred of Austria-Hungary was not the aim of the group, but instead, it was a natural consequence of the desire for independence and unity within a single nation.
The Central Committee of the Narodna Odbrana was located at Belgrade.
