WI: Yugoslavia like the German Empire

BigBlueBox

Banned
What if, instead of simply annexing Montenegro, Croatia, and Slovenia, Serbia had formed a federation? King Alexander would remain King of Serbia, and the constitution would state that the King of Serbia would also be Yugoslav Emperor. Montenegro would keep its king and join the Yugoslav Empire. A Kingdom of Croatia would be established with a Croat nobleman crowned as King. Slovenia would be a ducky, with its own ruler or in personal union with Serbia or Croatia. BiH would be partitioned between Serbia and Croatia. How would this Yugoslavia fare?
 
The Croatian aristocracy had little to no popularity or legitimacy among its people at this point. By 1918, manors were burning left and right across Croatia. Croats generally leaned towards republicanism as the preferred option; with pro-Yugoslav (Karadjordjevic) monarchism and Habsburg loyalism taking a distant second place. Crowning a local aristocrat would have made no sense from anybody's point of view.

I guess you could have a version where the thrones of Croatia and Slovenia are given to junior branches of the Serbian and Montenegrin dynasty. (Or maybe put one of the exiled Romanovs on Slovenia's throne, just for shits and giggles.)

But this also seems a bit pointless. A German-style dynastic federation would have very few, if any, advantages compared to a generic federation with only one King.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
The Croatian aristocracy had little to no popularity or legitimacy among its people at this point. By 1918, manors were burning left and right across Croatia. Croats generally leaned towards republicanism as the preferred option; with pro-Yugoslav (Karadjordjevic) monarchism and Habsburg loyalism taking a distant second place. Crowning a local aristocrat would have made no sense from anybody's point of view.
Did Croats want an independent republic of Croatia or a republic of Yugoslavia?
 

CaliGuy

Banned
Above all, a Republic - but preferably a Croatian republic, which might or might not join Yugoslavia on a federal basis.
Let me guess--the desire to join Yugoslavia on a federal basis was primarily the result of a fear of Italian domination, correct?

In other words, had there been no fear of Italian domination, the Croats would have wanted their own republic to be separate from Yugoslavia, correct?
 
Let me guess--the desire to join Yugoslavia on a federal basis was primarily the result of a fear of Italian domination, correct?

In other words, had there been no fear of Italian domination, the Croats would have wanted their own republic to be separate from Yugoslavia, correct?

That was one major factor, yes. Although I wouldn't completely discount the impact of cultural pan-Yugoslavism, which was especially strong in the Dalmatian region of Croatia.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
That was one major factor, yes. Although I wouldn't completely discount the impact of cultural pan-Yugoslavism, which was especially strong in the Dalmatian region of Croatia.
Very interesting! Indeed, it seems like back then the trend was towards the creation of multi-ethnic states such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia whereas now a lot of ethnic groups--especially in Europe--have their own separate state.
 

BigBlueBox

Banned
Very interesting! Indeed, it seems like back then the trend was towards the creation of multi-ethnic states such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia whereas now a lot of ethnic groups--especially in Europe--have their own separate state.
People still wanted their own ethnic states, pan-Yugoslavists just thought that all Yugoslavs were really the same ethnicity. And those that didn't still thought being in a country with a similar ethnic group was better than domination by a dissimilar nation.
 
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