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Puniša Račić ( sr-cyr, Пуниша Рачић; 12 July 1886 – 16 October 1944) was a
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
leader and People's Radical Party (NRS) politician. He assassinated
Croatian Peasant Party The Croatian Peasant Party (, HSS) is an agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun Radić, Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The ...
(HSS) representatives Pavle Radić and Đuro Basariček and mortally wounded HSS leader Stjepan Radić in a shooting which took place on the floor of the Yugoslav parliament on 20 June 1928. He was tried and handed a 60-year sentence, which was immediately reduced to twenty years. He served most of his sentence under
house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...
and was killed by the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
in October 1944.


Early life and political career

Puniša Račić was born on 12 July 1886 in the village of Slatina, near Andrijevica,
Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro () was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a Kingdom of Montenegro, kingdom by Nikola I of Montenegro, Nikola I, who then became King of M ...
. He entered the employ of politician
Nikola Pašić Nikola Pašić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Пашић, ; 18 December 1845 – 10 December 1926) was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat. During his political career, which spanned almost five decades, he served five times as prime minis ...
as a sixteen-year-old in 1902. Pašić regarded Račić as a son and encouraged his political ambitions. Račić became active in
Serbian nationalist Serbian nationalism asserts that Serbs are a nation and promotes the cultural and political unity of Serbs. It is an ethnic nationalism, originally arising in the context of the general rise of nationalism in the Balkans under Ottoman rule, ...
circles and claimed to have organized assassination attempts against King
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria; 26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) was Prince of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1908 and Tsar of Bulgaria from 1908 until his abdication in 1918. Under his rule, Bulgaria entered the First Worl ...
, King
Constantine I of Greece Constantine I (, Romanization, romanized: ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and again from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army dur ...
and Emperor
Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...
of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Following
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he earned a reputation for suppressing pro-Bulgarian movements in
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
. He was one of many Chetnik leaders who formed Serbian cultural societies in the region. On 27 September 1927, he was elected to the parliament of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...
as a representative of the People's Radical Party (NRS). Račić is reported to have had connections with the ruling Karađorđević dynasty. He was the leader of the ''Association of Serbian Chetniks "Petar Mrkonjić" – For King and Fatherland'' until 1928. The movement was established following a split in the
Chetniks The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...
in 1924 and built up a vast network across
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and
Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...
in the ensuing years. It maintained a close relationship with the Serbian National Youth (, SRNAO).


Parliament shooting

On 19 June 1928, Račić and twenty-three of his colleagues requested that
Croatian Peasant Party The Croatian Peasant Party (, HSS) is an agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun Radić, Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The ...
(HSS) leader Stjepan Radić be examined by doctors to determine if he was mentally ill and, if it was discovered that he was not, that he be punished to the maximum extent for describing several Serbian ministers as "plunderers", "bandits" and "outlaws" and thus violating the parliament's rules of procedure. At that day's session of parliament, Račić and fellow Serbian radical Toma Popović shouted: "Heads are going to roll here and until someone kills Stjepan Radić there can be no peace." The atmosphere that day prompted Radić to remark that "a psychological mood for murder" was being created. Several individuals in Serbia had made death threats against Radić in the preceding days. The Croatian People's Party (, HPS), which stood opposed to Radić's anti-Clericalism and
pan-Slavic Pan-Slavism, a movement that took shape in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with promoting integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had ruled the South S ...
ideas, also called for his removal from public life. Serbian newspapers such as ''
Politika ( sr-Cyrl, Политика, lit=Politics) is a Serbian daily newspaper, published in Belgrade. Founded in 1904 by Vladislav F. Ribnikar, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans. Publishing and ownership is publ ...
'' (Politics), ''Samouprava'' (Self-administration) and ''Jedinstvo'' (Unity) demonized Croat politicians, including Radić, and called for their murder. Out of caution, Radić was quieter than usual at the following evening's session of parliament. A verbal confrontation erupted that night when HSS deputy Ivan Pernar shouted insults at several Serbian politicians, questioning their wartime record and suggesting they were responsible for committing atrocities. Croatian politician Lubomir Maštović then made a speech protesting how the death threats against Radić made by Popović and Račić the previous day had gone unpunished by the president of the Assembly, Ninko Perić. Popović responded by saying "...if Stjepan Radić, who shames the Croatian people, further continues with his insults, I guarantee that his head will fall." The opposition benches reacted by shouting insults and death threats at the NRS party deputies, who responded in similar fashion. Perić ordered a five-minute recess and retreated to his private chamber, where he spoke with Račić. Račić was given the floor when the session was resumed. In his speech, he asserted that Serbian interests had never been in greater danger and stated that he would not refrain from using "other weapons, as need be, to defend the interests of Serbdom". Opposing politicians, especially Pernar, responded by taunting Račić and shouting as he spoke. Račić demanded that Perić penalize those jeering at his speech. Pernar then shouted "you plundered beys!", accusing Račić of looting Muslim homes in Macedonia. Seeing that Perić was not going to reprimand Pernar, Račić reached into his pocket and produced a handgun. The
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, Milorad Vujičić, who was sitting behind the podium, grabbed Račić by the back while the former Minister of Religion, Obradović, seized his right shoulder. Račić pushed both men away and shot Pernar first. He then turned his attention to Ivan Granđa and shot him. He attempted to shoot
Svetozar Pribićević Svetozar Pribićević ( sr-Cyrl, Светозар Прибићевић}, ; 26 October 1875 – 15 September 1936) was a Croatian Serb politician in Austria-Hungary and later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He was one of the main proponents of Yugoslavi ...
just as HSS deputy Đuro Basariček jumped to the podium. Račić aimed at Pribićević but shot Basariček instead. He then shot Radić in the hand and stomach. Radić's nephew, Pavle, rushed to help his uncle. Upon seeing him, Račić yelled "I was waiting for you!" and shot him at point-blank range. He then fled the chamber. Basariček and Radić's nephew died immediately. Pernar and Granđa were wounded but survived. Radić was seriously wounded and was taken to hospital immediately, where he was visited by King
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...
.


Aftermath

Demonstrations erupted in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
at the news of the shooting. Five people were killed and many more were wounded in clashes with police in the ten days following the attack. Deputies from the HSS– Democratic Party coalition withdrew from the parliament in protest. The shooting was the most significant political murder of Croat politicians during the
inter-war period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
. It destroyed popular support for the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Croatia. On 4 August Vlada Ristović, the editor of ''Jedinstvo''—one of the newspapers which had called for the murder of Radić and Pribićević—was assassinated by Josip Sunić, a member of the youth wing of the
Croatian Party of Rights The Croatian Party of Rights (, HSP) is an Extra-parliamentary opposition, extra-parliamentary Croatian nationalism, nationalist and Neo-fascism, neo-fascist List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia. The word "right(s)" i ...
(, HSP). Radić was operated on shortly after he was shot and his surgeon predicted that he would recover. Within two months of the shooting, his condition deteriorated unexpectedly and he died on 8 August 1928.
Vladko Maček Vladimir Maček (20 June 1879 – 15 May 1964) was a politician in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. As a leader of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) following the 1928 assassination of Stjepan Radić, Maček had been a leading Croatian political figure ...
, Radić's successor as head of the HSS, suggested that
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
had led to an infection which caused his heart to fail and suggested this as his cause of death. A week before his death, Radić had alleged that Račić was only the executor of "a plot conceived of and agreed to in one part of the Radical arliamentaryclub" and stated that his shooting had likely occurred with the knowledge and approval of Perić and
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Velimir Vukićević Velimir Vukićević (11 July 1871 – 27 November 1930) was a Serbian Yugoslav politician. He served as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 17 April 1927 until 28 July 1928. After the parliamentary election on 11 September 1927 he was re-elected ...
. Račić was celebrated as a hero through much of Serbia. He turned himself into the authorities shortly after the shooting and was tried and sentenced to 60 years in prison. This was immediately reduced to 20 years. His shooting of HSS deputies led to King Alexander suspending the
Vidovdan Constitution The Vidovdan Constitution was the first constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It was approved by the Constitutional Assembly on 28 June 1921 despite the opposition boycotting the vote. The Constitution is named after the feast ...
on 6 January 1929, renaming the country to Yugoslavia and proclaiming a royal dictatorship.


Later life and death

Račić spent most of his sentence under house arrest in a comfortable villa, where he was attended by three servants and was free to enter and leave at will. The leniency of his sentence likely came as a result of his connection with the Chetniks. He was released from house arrest on 27 March 1941. The
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
used Račić's shooting of Croatian deputies as one of their excuses for Genocide of Serbs in the persecuting and massacring Serbs during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Račić was killed by the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
on 16 October 1944 during the liberation of Belgrade from the
Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
.


Notes


References

;Books * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Websites *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Racic, Punisa 1886 births 1944 deaths People from Andrijevica People from the Principality of Montenegro People's Radical Party politicians Representatives in the Yugoslav National Assembly (1921–1941) 20th-century murderers Serbian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Yugoslavia Politicians convicted of murder Yugoslav people convicted of murder Executed assassins Executed politicians Serb nationalist assassins People killed by Yugoslav Partisans Serbs of Montenegro Chetniks