Jadranska straža ( or 'Adriatic Sentinel') was a volunteer organisation founded in 1922 in Split, in the recently established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia). The organisation's stated objective was the promotion of Yugoslav military, economic, and cultural interests in the Adriatic Sea. By the 1930s, the organisation had more than 500 branches in the country and abroad, and consisted of approximately 180,000 members. Jadranska straža's founding president was Juraj Biankini, who was succeeded by Ivo Tartaglia. The bulk of the organisation's financing was secured through membership fees.
Even though Jadranska straža was a non-governmental organisation, it had a close relationship with the state, supporting the official state ideology of integral Yugoslavism and "national oneness". The Jadranska straža's adherence to the state ideology allowed it to remain active even after introduction of the 6 January Dictatorship in 1929. The organisation welcomed the dictatorship, expecting King Alexander I of Yugoslavia to endorse the Jadranska straža's goals. The organisation had a particularly close relationship with the Ministry of the Army and Navy. In 1925, Jadranska straža started a drive to collect donations for the purchase of Jadran training ship. Members from Dalmatia expected the state to pursue strong development of the region. By the mid-1930s, the government's disinterest in developing Dalmatia caused disappointment and resentment among the Jadranska straža's leaders and members. They gradually shifted to criticising the government while placing a greater emphasis on Dalmatian and Croatian aspects of Adriatic orientation than on pan-Yugoslav themes. Jadranska straža was suppressed and ceased operation during World War II, shortly after the 1941 Invasion of Yugoslavia.
Jadranska straža had significant publishing activity. The organisation's official monthly publication, Jadranska straža – Glasnik udruženja Jadranska straža was published from January 1923 until April 1941. The journal printed maritime-related material, including literary texts, scientific papers, current events, and coverage of topics related to fishing and tourism. The journal published sport news and became Yugoslavia's official rowing journal. The organisation's publications included guide books for various parts of the Adriatic shore and islands. The guide books were also published in German and Czech.
Background
In 1915, the Kingdom of Italy entered World War I on the side of the Entente, following the signing of the Treaty of London, which promised Italy territorial gains at the expense of Austria-Hungary. The treaty was opposed by representatives of the South Slavs living in Austria-Hungary, who were organised as the Yugoslav Committee. Following the 1918 Armistice of Villa Giusti and the Austro-Hungarian surrender, Italian troops moved to occupy parts of the Eastern Adriatic shore promised to Italy under the Treaty of London, ahead of the Paris Peace Conference. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia), established shortly after the war, laid a competing claim to the eastern Adriatic to counter the Italian demands. The problem of establishing the border between Italy and Yugoslavia—known as the Adriatic question—and the future status of Rijeka became major points of dispute at the Paris Peace Conference.
During the Allied occupation of the eastern Adriatic coast, Italy deployed troops not only to its designated zone, but also to other areas. In the British zone, Italian troops captured the city Rijeka and its area, becoming the dominant power in the zone. Most of the area was seized by Gabriele D'Annunzio in late 1919 and ruled as the Italian Regency of Carnaro for the next fifteen months, until Italian recapture of the area. The US forces on the eastern Adriatic shores were tasked with promoting President Woodrow Wilson's policy of self-determination, and the US Navy protected and assisted the provincial government. The French favoured Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes control of the coast in their zone of occupation and deployed troops against Italian interests in Montenegro. Civil unrest persisted during the allied occupation. The border was ultimately determined through the 1920 Treaty of Rapallo. Regardless of the treaty, Yugoslavs still felt threatened by the potential Italian territorial expansion in the eastern Adriatic because Italian fascists and irredentists still supposed the claims. The occupation of Yugoslav territories on the eastern Adriatic coast ended in 1921.
Establishment and leadership
Jadranska straža was established in Split at a public rally held at the present-day square on 19 February 1922. The organisation's stated objectives were the promotion of military, commercial and cultural interests of Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea and along its shores. Its activities, including publishing periodicals, tourist guide books and support for scientific research, were aimed at fostering love for the Adriatic Sea. Ultimately, Jadranska straža intended to influence public opinion, promoting the perspective that the Adriatic Sea was essential to the country and defining the nation's identity and attempting to align the objectives with the ideology of integral Yugoslavism. Through pursuit of those objectives, Jadranska straža aimed to support economic and cultural development of the Adriatic region and work towards reclaiming the territories awarded to Italy through the Treaty of Rapallo. Historian Branko Petranović held that Jadranska straža was a fascist organisation. It was a typical European Interwar period association drawing on militarism and patriotism.
The organisation was founded by:
Juraj Biankini, journalist and politician Silvije Alfirević, principal of Classical Gymnasium in Split Glauko Prebanda, ship-of-the-line lieutenant Otokar Lahman, writer Ivo Tartaglia, Mayor of Split
It was led by the 12-member central office, which met annually in Split. Biankini served as the association's president from 1922 to 1928. Tartaglia held the position of the vice-president until he succeeded Biankini and then served as president until 1941. King Alexander was the organisation's honorary president. The organisation's seal, inspired by the legend of Prince Marko, was a mace thrown into water flanked by letters "J" and "S".
Structure and membership
The organisation had established three main councils in Osijek, Skopje, and Ljubljana by the end of 1922. Within two years, district councils were established in Dubrovnik, Sarajevo, Novi Sad, Zagreb, Belgrade, Kragujevac, Sušak, Niš, Kruševac, Zemun, Veliki Bečkerek, Valjevo, and Karlovac as well as numerous local councils. Jadranska straža intended to establish a branch in every town in the country. It never achieved that objective, but it established 265 branches by 1927, and 507 branches by 1931. Jadranska straža also established ten branches abroad in Europe and in the United States. The organisation established cooperation with other organisations in the country such as the Yugoslav Sokol, Circle of Serbian Sisters, Chetnik organisations, and the Narodna Odbrana. When the terrorist Organization of Yugoslav Nationalists was established in Split in late 1922, its quickly established cooperation with Jadranska straža.
The organisation's reached 40,000 members in 1927, 70,000 in 1931, and 180,000 members in 1939. Jadranska straža relied on membership fees and private donations for the bulk of its income, but some revenue was generated through the sale of the association's publications. The membership fee varied as discounted rates were charged to different groups of members such as workers, peasants, soldiers, children, etc. Only a fraction of the revenue was sent to the central office. Jadranska straža relied on its members' volunteer work or administrative services needed to run the association. The organisation established the Daksa Foundation to support families of mariners who died while at sea. Jadranska straža also established the Maritime Museum in Split, as well as a library and an archive collecting maritime-related publications and Adriatic-related promotional material.
Relationship with the state Initial support
Even though Jadranska straža was a non-governmental organisation, it had a close relationship with the state. It did not consider itself a political organisation. Following its establishment, the organisation supported the official state ideology of integral Yugoslavism and "national oneness". Different interpretations of the concept of the "national oneness" caused internal conflicts within the organisation. Namely, the prevailing view among the Split membership was that Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes are tribes of a common nation yet to fully coalesce into a centralised state, but the prevailing view of the Belgrade branch was aligned with that of the People's Radical Party—that Yugoslavia was the Greater Serbia. The conflict was emphasised in mid-1920s, when the Belgrade branch, led by Ljubomir Jovanović, unsuccessfully tried to relocate organisation's headquarters to Belgrade. Regardless of the conflict, the organisation's adherence to the state ideology made it possible for the organisation to remain active even after introduction of dictatorship in 1929. The organisation welcomed the dictatorship and expected the king to finally fully endorse the Jadranska straža's goals.
Jadranska straža enjoyed a particularly close relationship with the Ministry of the Army and Navy and its membership included generals and admirals. The organisation viewed Regia Marina as a threat to Dalmatia and urged development of the Royal Yugoslav Navy, aiming to mimic the German Navy League in this respect. In 1925, Jadranska straža called for donations to purchase a training ship. The organisation collected only an eighth of the required funds, but the Ministry of the Army and Navy funded the remainder through loans and German World War I reparations. The Jadran training ship was ordered.
Growing criticism
Members of the organisation living in Dalmatia expected the state to pursue vigorous economic development of the region and the entire Adriatic coast. Despite Jadranska straža's lobbying efforts, the national government continued to prioritise routes of transportation oriented to the Port of Thessaloniki in Greece. This was at least in part due to lack of rail connections between Dalmatia and the rest of the country and the challenging terrain in the coastal hinterland. The Lika Railway connecting Split to Zagreb opened only in 1925, and construction of the Una Railway advocated by Jadranska straža did not start until 1936. The Belgrade government's disinterest in developing Dalmatia caused disappointment and resentment among the organisation's leaders and members. In the process, the organisation moved from full support of the national government to sharp criticism by 1933. In the 1930s, the branches set up in the east of the country (in areas of pre-World War I Serbia and Montenegro) became less active.