The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-06-21
STRIFE BREWS
IN YUCOSLAYlA
Largest Balkan State Pos
sesses Dangerous
Powder Barrel
BY STEWART BROWN ,
United Press Staff Correspondent

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, June
known
before the war as Serbia, is the
largest and most powerful of the
Balkan states and possesses the
most dangerous powder barrels
of any of the "victor' nations.
The elements for explosion are
manufactured within Yugoslavia.
Internal dissension over political,
religious and cultural problems
have, and still threaten, to tear
the newly-forged state into frac-
tions. 49,. 49,,
Belgrade, capital of the new
and greater Serbia, although only
eight hours by train from Vienna
or Budapest, presents a raw and
rude contrast to those cities.
SUFFERS GROWING PAINS
Here everything is new and in
process of construction. Before
the war Belgrade was the tiny
capital of tiny nation covering
only $4,000 square miles, with
population of 100000. Today
Yugoslavia m assures $4,000
square miles and has a popula-
ton of 100000. :,
Most of this new territory and
population came from the old
Austro- Hungarian empire. The
process of territorial digestion"
has been and still is extremely
painful, because many of the new
Yugoslav citizens have resisted
assimilation.
Yugoslavia has been in intern
nj turmoil ever since creation OF
| the kingdom. The Serbs, who
tonly emerged as an independent
nation as the result of the Bal
kan wars of 1912, saw their
country overridden with Austri-
ans and Hungarians during the
World war.
DIssENSIoN FROM WITHIN :,
When the allies triumphed ana
the Serbian government returned
from exile in Corfu, Belgrade
found itself, through peace trea-
ties, the capital of a Kingdom
MANY times greater than before
the war.
The Croats. Sloyenes. Mace
domains and Moslems, who were
awarded . to Serbia by the trea-
ties, did not make peaceful sub
iects. The racial and religious
minorities (the Serbs are Ortho-
dox, the Croats and Slovenes
Catholic and Moslem) vigorously
opposed, often with guns, every
effort to centralize authority in
Belgrade. They considered them
selves culturally and socially su-
perior to. the Serbs.
DICTATORSHIP SET UP
This tension led to the murder
of Stephen Raditch, Croatian
leader, in parliament, which in
turn led to establishment OF
Serbian military dictatorship by
the late King Alexander in 1929;
The real dictatorship ended
last wear when King Alexander
was slain in Marseilles. His death
left Yugoslavia with a. dictatorlal
form of government without a
dictator. :, -.
The politicians. with the aid OF
Regency headed by Prince Paul
(Alexander's cousin, are DONG
their best to keep the country TO-
eether until King Peter II. now
II. reaches his majority at 10.
PEOPLE ARE RESTLESS
But signs of unrest are evident.
The people are clamoring for a
return to a more democratic ana
less centralized regime. 1t now
remains to be seen whether the
dictatorship can be liquidated
peacefully or not.
Although Yugoslavia's Difficult
ties are CHIEFLY domestic, its for
eign relations have and still pre-
sent certain grave problems. Italy
and Yugoslavia have been at log
gerheads almost continuously
Since the war. The Yugoslavs be-
llieve the Italians possess designs
lon their beautiful Dalmatian
coast. The two nations foreign
policies have clashed in the Bal
kans. Italy, backed by Hungary,
Austria and Bulgaria, wished to
undermine the influence OF the
Little and Balkan Ententes, in
both of which Yugoslavia plays a
Iood;nr rola Yuposlayia. on its
side, wishes to attain dominant
position in the Balkans, and is
extremely jealous and suspicious
of Italv's political assistance to
Austria.
CRISIS is AVOIDED 80,
The two nations were at the
,o;nt of NOR when Mussolini mo-