45°21′11″N14°26′34″E / 45.3531°N 14.4429°E /45.3531; 14.4429
Free State of Fiume | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920–1924 | |||||||||
 Flag  Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Map of the Free State of Fiume (original Hungarian district of Fiume in dark green) | |||||||||
| Capital | Fiume (Rijeka) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Official Italian · Hungarian · German Regional Venetian · ChakavianCroatian | ||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1921–22 | Riccardo Zanella | ||||||||
• 1922–23 | Giovanni Giuriati | ||||||||
| Military Governor | |||||||||
• 1923–24 | Gaetano Giardino | ||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||
| 12 November 1920 | |||||||||
• Control established | 30 December 1920 | ||||||||
| 3 March 1922 | |||||||||
• Annexed by theKingdom of Italy | 22 February 1924 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 28 km2 (11 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Currency | Fiume krone(until 1920) Italian lira(after 1920) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Croatia | ||||||||
TheFree State of Fiume (pronounced[ˈfjuːme]) was anindependent free state that existed from 1920 to 1924. Its territory of 28 km2 (6,900 acres) comprised the city of Fiume (todayRijeka,Croatia) and rural areas to its north, with a corridor to its west connecting it to theKingdom of Italy.
Fiume gained autonomy for the first time in 1719, when it was proclaimed a free port of theHoly Roman Empire in a decree issued by theEmperorCharles VI. In 1776, during the reign of EmpressMaria Theresa, the city was transferred to theKingdom of Hungary and in 1779 gained the status ofcorpus separatum within that kingdom.
The city briefly lost its autonomy in 1848 after being occupied by Croatianban (viceroy)Josip Jelačić but regained it in 1868, when it rejoined theKingdom of Hungary, again as acorpus separatum. Fiume's status as anexclave of Hungary meant that despite being landlocked, the kingdom had a port. Until 1924, Fiume existed for practical purposes as an autonomous entity with elements of statehood.[citation needed]
In the 19th century, the city was populated mostly byItalians and as minorities byCroats andHungarians and other ethnicities. National affiliations changed from census to census, as at that time "nationality" was defined mostly by the language a person spoke. The special status of the city, being placed between different states, created a local identity among the majority of the population.[citation needed] The official languages in use wereItalian,Hungarian, andGerman; most of the business correspondence was carried out in Italian, and most families spoke a local dialect, a blend ofVenetian with a few words ofCroatian.[1] In the countryside outside the city, a particular kind of CroatianChakavian dialect with many Italian and Venetian words was spoken.[2]
AfterWorld War I and thedemise ofAustria-Hungary, the question of the status of Fiume became a major international problem. At the height of the dispute between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later calledKingdom of Yugoslavia) and theKingdom of Italy, the Great Powers (theUnited Kingdom,France and theUnited States) advocated the establishment of an independentbuffer state.U.S. PresidentWoodrow Wilson became the arbiter in the Yugoslav–Italian dispute over the city.[3] Wilson suggested that Fiume be set up as an independent state and, indeed, as a potential home for theLeague of Nations organization.[4]
The dispute led to lawlessness, and the city changed hands between a South-Slav National Committee and anItalian National Council, leading finally to thelanding of British and French troops, who took over the city. The National Council overstamped Austro-Hungarian notes – theFiume Kronen – which were used as official currency. The confusing situation was exploited by Italian poet/generalGabriele D'Annunzio, who entered the city on 12 September 1919 and began a 15-month period of occupation. A year later, after failure of negotiations with the Italian government, D'Annunzio proclaimed theItalian Regency of Carnaro.[citation needed]
-10_Kronen_(1920).jpg)
On 12 November 1920, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes signed theTreaty of Rapallo, whereby both parties agreed to acknowledge "the complete freedom and independence of the State of Fiume and oblige to respect it in perpetuity".[5] With that act, the eternal "Free State of Fiume" was created, which, it turned out, would exist as an independent state for about four years. The newly created state was immediately recognized by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. D'Annunzio refused to acknowledge the agreement and was expelled from the city by the regular forces of theItalian Army, in the "Bloody Christmas" actions from 24 to 30 December 1920.[6]
In April 1921, the electorate approved a plan for a free state and for a consortium to run the port.[7] The first parliamentary elections were held, contested between the autonomists and the pro-Italian National Bloc. The Autonomist Party, which was supported by votes from the majority of the Croats, gained 6,558 votes; the National Bloc, composed of Fascist, Liberal, and Democratic parties, received 3,443 votes. The leader of the Autonomist Party,Riccardo Zanella, became president.
Control over the Free State was in an almost constant state of flux. Following the departure of D'Annunzio's troops in December 1920, the Italian National Council of Fiume reassumed control and appointed a provisional government. A pact with the local Italian commander handed control to the military on 18 January 1921.
A group of D'Annunzio loyalists seized part of the town until they were in turn pushed out in September. In October, autonomistRiccardo Zanella was appointed provisional president; his rule lasted until 3 March 1922, whenItalian Fascists carried out acoup d'état and the legal government escaped toKraljevica. On 6 March, the Italian government was asked to restore order, and Italian troops entered the city on 17 March. They returned control to the minority of the constituent assembly who were loyal to the Italian annexationists.[8]
After proclamation of the Rapallo Treaty, theCommunist Party of Fiume (Italian:Partito Comunista di Fiume – Sezione della III.a Internazionale) was instituted in November 1921. The Communist Party of Fiume was the smallest Communist Party in the world. It was founded following the principles of theThird International, according to which each sovereign state had to have its own Communist Party organization.[9]
On 27 January 1924, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes signed theTreaty of Rome, agreeing to theannexation of Fiume by Italy and the absorption ofSušak by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. All parties ratified the agreement in Rome on 22 February 1924, and it became effective the same day. It was registered in theLeague of Nations Treaty Series on 7 April 1924.[10] Thegovernment-in-exile of the Free State considered this act invalid and nonbinding underinternational law and continued its activities until well after the 1950s.[11] In the aftermath of the Second World War, Zanella andTito were still discussing the possibility of reinstating the old free state, but changes in the international geopolitical picture led the Yugoslav Communist regime to seize the opportunity and annex the city in 1947 after two years of occupation, aided byStalin's strong support during theParis peace conference.
With the surrender of Italy in theSecond World War, the "Rijeka" issue resurfaced. In 1944, a group of citizens issued theLiburnia Memorandum,[12] in which it was recommended that a confederate state be formed from the three cantons of Fiume, Sušak, andIlirska Bistrica. The islands ofKrk (Veglia),Cres (Cherso), andLošinj (Lussino) would enter the common condominium (a government operating under joint rule) as well.[13] Zanella of the government-in-exile still sought reestablishment of the Free State.[14]
TheYugoslav authorities, who took possession of the city from German occupation on 3 May 1945, objected to the plans and took concrete steps to settle the dispute. The leaders of the autonomists –Nevio Skull,Mario Blasich, and Sergio Sincich – were murdered, and Zanella went into hiding.[15][16][17] With theParis Peace Treaty of 1947, Fiume (now called Rijeka) andIstria officially became part of Yugoslavia.[18]
Works related toConstitution of Fiume at Wikisource
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