Milan Grol
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Milan Grol (12 September 1876 – 3 December 1952) was a Serbian literary critic, historian and politician. He was also director of the
National Theatre of Serbia The Serbian National Theatre ( sr, Српско народно позориште, Srpsko narodno pozorište), located in Novi Sad, is one of the major theatres of Serbia. History The current building of the theatre was opened in March 1981. The ...
.


Biography

Milan Grol was born in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
on 12 September 1876. He completed his studies at the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...
Faculty of Philosophy A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...
in 1899 and then taught for a year at a
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
. Afterwards, he moved to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and spent two years there studying literature, theatre and art. He returned to
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
in 1902 and found work as a teacher at the
National Theatre in Belgrade The National Theatre ( sr-cyr, Народно позориште, Narodno pozorište) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in the later half of the 19th century, it is located on the Republic Square, at the corner of Vasina and Fra ...
. Alongside writers such as
Jovan Skerlić Jovan Skerlić (, ; 20 August 1877 – 15 May 1914) was a Serbian writer and literary critic.''Jovan Skerlić u srpskoj književnosti 1877–1977: Zbornik radova''. Posebna izdanja, Institut za knjizevnost i umetnost, Belgrade. He is seen as on ...
,
Radoje Domanović Radoje Domanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Радоје Домановић; February 16, 1873 – August 17, 1908) was a Serbian writer and teacher, most famous for his satirical short stories. His adult years were a constant fight against tuberculosis. ...
and Stevan M. Luković, Grol wrote many articles critical of King
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...
in newspapers such as ''Dnevni list'' (Daily Paper) and ''Odjek'' (Echo). In April 1903, he was transferred to
Negotin Negotin ( sr-cyrl, Неготин, ; ro, Negotin) is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of the eastern Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial center of the Bor District. ...
because of his opposition to Serbia's ruling
Obrenović dynasty The House of Obrenović ( sr-Cyrl, Обрeновић, Obrenovići / Обреновићи, ) was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor M ...
. He returned to Belgrade on 29 May 1903, following the
May Overthrow The May Coup ( sr, Мајски преврат, Majski prevrat) was a coup d'état involving the assassination of the List of Serbian monarchs, Serbian King Alexander I of Serbia, Alexander Obrenović and his Queen consort, consort Queen Draga M ...
which led to the extinction of the Obrenović dynasty and the restoration of the
Karađorđević dynasty The Karađorđević dynasty ( sr-Cyrl, Динасија Карађорђевић, Dinasija Karađorđević, Карађорђевићи / Karađorđevići, ) or House of Karađorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Кућа Карађорђевић, Kuća Karađ ...
to the Serbian throne. Politically, Grol identified with a group of left-wing urban democrats led by Ljubomir Živković, Ljubomir Stojanović and Jaša Prodanović. This movement separated from the
People's Radical Party The People's Radical Party ( sr, Народна радикална странка, Narodna radikalna stranka, abbr. НРС or NRS) was the dominant ruling party of Kingdom of Serbia and later Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from the la ...
and later became the Independent Radical Party. After 1903, Grol continued to work with Skerlić, first as a journalist, and, from 1905 to 1909, as the editor of ''Dnevni list'', which represented the left-wing ideals of the Independent Radical Party. Grol became a dramatist at the National Theatre and remained in that position until 1906. He taught for three more years before becoming the director of the National Theatre in 1909. From 1912 to 1914, he was the editor-in-chief of ''Odjek''. Grol joined the main committee of the Independent Radical Party in 1913. Grol remained director of the National Theatre until the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in the summer of 1914. The war prompted him to relocate to
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, where he headed the Serbian Press Bureau from 1915 until 1918. After World War I, he and politician
Ljubomir Davidović Ljubomir Davidović (24 December 1863 – 19 February 1940) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who served as prime minister (1919–1920 and 1924) of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later called Yugoslavia). Biography Davidovi ...
founded the Democratic Association, which later became the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. Grol was again named director of the National Theatre in 1918 and held this position until 1924. In 1922, he and Kosta Jovanović founded the ''Nedeljni glasnik'' (Sunday Herald), which called for constitutional reform, the lessening of centralism, and more political agreement between Croatia and Serbia. Following the outbreak of a political crisis with the Democratic Party, Grol began editing ''Odjek'' again and split with Davidović following
Svetozar Pribićević Svetozar Pribićević ( sr-cyr, Светозар Прибићевић}, ; 26 October 1875 – 15 September 1936) was a Croatian Serb politician in Austria-Hungary and later Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He was one of the main proponents of Yugoslavism a ...
's departure from the party. Grol was twice elected to the parliament of the
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, in 1925 and 1927. He was a member of a Yugoslav coalition government consisting of Democrats, Radicals and the
Slovene People's Party The Slovenian People's Party ( sl, Slovenska ljudska stranka, , Slovene abbreviation SLS ) is a conservative, agrarian, Christian-democratic political party in Slovenia. Formed in 1988 under the name of Slovenian Peasant Union as the first democ ...
, and served as Minister of Education until 1929 when he reunited with Davidović and joined the opposition. In 1929, Grol joined the Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment Committee and organized the Kolarac People's University in Belgrade. He began publishing ''Odjek'' again in 1936. Following Davidović's death in 1940, Grol became president of the Democratic Party. He became the Kolarčev People's University's first director in 1941. He joined the government of
Dušan Simović Dušan Simović (; 28 October 1882 – 26 August 1962) was a Yugoslav Serb army general who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army and as the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia in 1940–1941. Biography Simović, born on 28 ...
in March 1941 and went into exile following the
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that April.
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Central European correspondent,
Reuben Markham Reuben Henry Markham (February 21, 1887 - December 29, 1949) was a journalist for the ''Christian Science Monitor'' who wrote numerous books, including "an attack on fascism,"''The Wave of the Past'', which urged American intervention in World War ...
, described Grol as "one of the most unimpeachable democrats in the Balkans. His whole life is a record of working for the people,...bravely and incorruptibly. He lived in a small house on a modest street in...Belgrade....His meager income was free from all contamination." Grol held various posts in the Yugoslav government-in-exile during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in London: Minister for Social Welfare and Public Health, from 27 March to January 1942; Minister of Transport, from 10 January 1942 to 26 June 1943; and Minister of Foreign Affairs, from 26 June to 10 August 1943. In the first half of 1944, Serb politicians in the government-in-exile attempted to convince King Peter to appoint Grol to replace
Božidar Purić Božidar Purić ( sr-Cyrl, Божидар Пурић; 19 February 1891 – 28 October 1977) was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat. Between 1928 and 1934 he was a chargé d'affaires in the Embassy of Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the United ...
as Prime Minister, but British pressure resulted in the appointment of a non-Serb,
Ivan Šubašić Ivan Šubašić (; 7 May 1892 – 22 March 1955) was a Yugoslav Croat politician, best known as the last Ban of Croatia and prime minister of the royalist Yugoslav Government in exile during the Second World War. Early life He was born in Vuk ...
, who would be willing to remove
Draža Mihailović Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб Дража Михаиловић; 27 April 1893 – 17 July 1946) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, Chetnik Detachments ...
from his post as Minister of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The British had assessed that no Serb politician would be in a position to remove Mihailović. In February 1945, prior to the return of the government-in-exile to Yugoslavia, King Peter named Grol as a member of the regency to be formed under the Tito-Šubašić agreement, however
Tito Tito may refer to: People Mononyms * Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman * Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journ ...
would not accept Grol in the regency, and he was ultimately not appointed. When the government-in-exile returned to Yugoslavia in March 1945 and merged with the interim Partisan government, Grol became vice premier without portfolio in the unified government under Prime Minister Tito. On 18 August 1945, Grol resigned his cabinet post because the
communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
failed to observe the conditions that had been agreed upon with the government-in-exile when the unified government was established. Grol tried to re-publish the pre-war Democratic Party magazine called ''Demokratija'', but was blocked by the Partisans. He was placed under house arrest in November 1945, and withdrew from public life after the introduction of
communist rule A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...
. He testified at the trial of
Draža Mihailović Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб Дража Михаиловић; 27 April 1893 – 17 July 1946) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, Chetnik Detachments ...
.''Captives Sold, Tribunal Told'',
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
– 25 Jun 1946


Works

*''Theatre Reviews'' (''Pozorišne kritike''), Belgrade, 1931. *''From Pre-War Serbia'' (''Iz predratne Srbije''), Belgrade, 1939. *''From the Theatre of Pre-War Serbia'' (''Iz pozorišta predratne Srbije''), Belgrade, 1952.


Literature

*''Enciklopedija Jugoslavije'', part 4, 1986.


Notes


References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grol, Milan 1876 births 1952 deaths Politicians from Belgrade People from the Principality of Serbia Democratic Party (Yugoslavia) politicians Government ministers of Yugoslavia Representatives in the Yugoslav National Assembly (1921–1941) University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni 20th-century Serbian historians