TheGreens (Serbo-Croatian:Зеленаши,Zelenaši) were a group of loyalists ofKing Nikola ofMontenegro. They originated from the members of theTrue People's Party and were most notable for instigating theChristmas Uprising of 1919. The rebellion was staged in an attempt to prevent the dethroning of thePetrović-Njegoš dynasty and the subsequent integration of Montenegro into theKingdom of Yugoslavia. The Greens were supporters of the House of Petrović-Njegoš, which was dethroned afterWorld War I. Following their defeat in the Christmas Rebellion, the Greens continued on with their guerrilla warfare until 1929. Themotto of the movement was "For the Right, Honour and Freedom of Montenegro".
During World War II, the Greens were activated once again under the leadership ofKrsto Popović in an attempt to re-establish theKingdom of Montenegro as anAxisclient state.[1]
The Greens (Zelenaši) movement was originally founded in 1918 inMontenegro by the opponents of Montenegrin unification with theKingdom of Serbia and integration into the newly establishedKingdom of Yugoslavia, when they supported theHouse of Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro over theHouse of Karađorđević of Serbia. After the unsuccessful armed rebellion known as the Christmas Rebellion, the Greens continued guerrilla resistance until 1929, while their political activity was based on opposition to the mode and manner in which thesouth Slavic unification was implemented, resulting in the disappearance of Montenegro as a political entity. According to the Croatian-American academicIvo Banac they declared themselves asSerbs.[2][3][4]
As a member of a joint American–British mission, the British diplomatEarl John de Salis wrote a detailed report. The Earl stated that no one denied that Montenegro might need to be unified with Serbia and the budding Yugoslav state. However, the issue was “to be able to join it as Montenegro, and not as a prefecture of Serbia, as free Montenegrins, in line with the tradition and the past of their country, and not as yes-men of Belgrade, to join it on equal footing as the Slovenes, the Croats and the very Serbs.”,[5]i.e. on conditions of equality and preservation of identity of Montenegro.[6]
The Greens drew their membership from the Highland tribes (Moračani,Piperi, andRovci), the Katun clans (Bjelice,Cetinje,Čevo, andCuce), and the Herzegovinian tribes (Nikšići, Rudinjani andDrobnjaci).[7] Notable leaders of the Greens includedKrsto Zrnov Popović,Jovan S. Plamenac andNovica Radović.
Some of the Greens re-gathered duringWorld War II, under the command ofKrsto Zrnov Popović, a collaborator offascist Italy. They were organized into a military unit called theLovćen Brigade featuring four brigades that participated in the chaotic civil war raging on the ground in Montenegro and whose military activity was mostly directed against the communistPartisans. After their military defeat, most of the surviving Greens members joined the Partisans, with some joining theUstaše and a minority joining theChetniks. Other members of the Greens joined Partisans or Chetniks from the beginning of the Axisinvasion of Yugoslavia.
The name of theGreens derives from the green voting cards that were used by the opponents of unification with Serbia used at thePodgorica Assembly in 1918.
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TheGreens opposed the unification of theKingdom of Montenegro with theKingdom of Serbia under theHouse of Karađorđević. With support from Italy, the Greens organised a rebellion in 1919 with the aim of bringing theHouse of Petrović-Njegoš back to the Montenegrin throne. The rebellion failed and the rebels fled to Italy.Krsto Zrnov Popović,Jovan Plamenac andNovica Radović led the uprising, along with CommanderSavo Čelebić and Captain Đuro Drašković.
After the unsuccessful uprising, the Greens returned to Montenegro, starting a guerrilla warfare. The core of the revolt was subdued in 1922–1923, but low-level guerrilla continued in the mountains and highlands for several more years. In 1922, a number of leaders of the Greens founded theMontenegrin Federalist Party, shifting from organised armed resistance to political struggle.
By 1926, most remaining forms of armed resistance ended. However, a few groups continued engaging in skirmishes until 1929.
In World War II, theGreens were organized yet again in Montenegro under the command of theFascist Italy.Sekula Drljević was put in power and proclaimed the re-establishment of an independent Montenegro, but was immediately ousted by the13 July uprising of localPartisans andChetniks. Among the Montenegrin federalists, Krsto Zrnov Popović returned from exile in Italy to attempt to lead the Greens. The Greens' forces were called theLovćen Brigade. Soon, they were disorganized and one group of Greens joined the Partisans, while another joined the CroatianUstaše and some joined the Chetniks.
After the Partisan victory in 1945, many leaders of the Greens were killed as the collaborators of the Italian occupation: the same Popović was murdered in 1947. At the same time, the Communists were killing many potential opponents all overYugoslavia. This marked the end of the Greens.
TheOrder of Freedom of Montenegro was issued by the exiledKing Nikola in January 1919. This order was mainly dedicated to the Greens.
Posebno je zanimljivo da su se i »zelenaši«,...., nacionalno smatrali Srbima" [it is especially interesting that Greens also ... declared themselves as Serbs]
In a letter to the Serbian commander in Rijeka Crnojevića, the local head of the Green insurgents noted thatMontenegro, our Fatherland, had defended and safeguarded the torch of Serb freedom for six hundred years
The Greens, especially after those among them who were not compromised by insurgency entered electoral politics on a federalist(autonomist) platform (1923) and then established the Montenegrin Party (1925), increasingly shunned armed struggle and stressed that, though they were for a federal Yugoslavia, they remained true Serbs.