Nikola Pašić
Serbian and Yugoslav statesman, five-time prime minister of Serbia and three-time prime minister of Yugoslavia.
Nikola Pašić (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 minister of Serbia and three times as prime minister of Yugoslavia, leading 22 governments in total. He played an instrumental role in the founding of Yugoslavia and is considered one of the most influential figures in Serbian twentieth-century history. With 12 years in office, Pašić was the longest-serving prime minister of Serbia.
- born
- 18 December 1845, Zaječar, Principality of Serbia
- died
- 10 December 1926, age 80, heart attack
- field
- Politics, diplomacy
- nationality
- Serbian and Yugoslav
- known_for
- Founding of Yugoslavia, longest-serving prime minister of Serbia
Quick Facts
- Honorific Prefix
- His Excellency
- Native Name Lang
- sr
- Office1
- Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
- Term Start1
- 6 November 1924
- Term End1
- 8 April 1926
- Monarch1
- Alexander I
- Predecessor1
- Ljubomir Davidović
- Successor1
- Nikola Uzunović
- Term Start2
- 1 January 1921
- Term End2
- 28 July 1924
- Monarch2
- Peter I · Alexander I
- Predecessor2
- Milenko Vesnić
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Born in Zaječar, in eastern Serbia, Pašić studied engineering in Switzerland and embraced radical politics as a student at the Polytechnical School in Zürich. On his return to Serbia, he was elected to the National Assembly in 1878 as a member of the People's Radical Party, which was formally organised three years later. After the failed Timok Rebellion against the government of King Milan I, he was sentenced to death but narrowly avoided capture and execution. He spent the next six years exiled in Bulgaria. Following Milan's abdication in 1889, Pašić returned to Serbia and was elected president of the National Assembly. A year later he also became mayor of Belgrade. In 1891, Pašić became prime minister for the first time, but was forced to resign the following year.
Reader's Guide
Following the May Coup and the murder of King Alexander I, Pašić emerged as a leading figure in Serbian politics while the Radical Party established its dominance. He served as prime minister from 1904 to 1905, 1906 to 1908, 1909 to 1911 and finally from 1912 to 1918, as Serbia entered a golden age of economic growth and growing influence on the continental stage. He led Serbia to victory in the Balkan Wars against the Ottomans and Bulgaria, almost doubling the size of Serbian territories. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand brought Serbia to war with Austria-Hungary, sparking the First World War in which the country was overrun by the Central Powers. Pašić led the government in exile in the Greek island of Corfu, where the Corfu Declaration was signed and paved the way for a future state of South Slavs. In 1918, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was officially proclaimed, and Pašić was recognised as the de facto prime minister of the new state. Despite his resignation just a month later, he took part in the Paris Peace Conference as the Serbian representative. He served as prime minister on two more occasions, from 1921 to July 1924 and from November 1924 to 1926. During his final tenure, he oversaw the creation of the kingdom's first constitution. He died of a heart attack in late 1926, at age 80. A proponent of populism, nationalism, and political pragmatism, Pašić began his career as a socialist but became a conservative in the 1910s.
Did You Know?
- Pašić studied engineering at the Polytechnical School in Zürich.
- He was sentenced to death in absentia after the Timok Rebellion but fled to Bulgaria.
- He served as mayor of Belgrade twice, from 1890 to 1891 and again in 1897.
- Pašić led the Serbian government in exile on the Greek island of Corfu during World War I.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nikola Pašić?
Nikola Pašić (1845–1926) was a Serbian and Yugoslav statesman and diplomat born in Zaječar, best known for his central role in establishing the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He dominated Balkan politics for over half a century and is often called the most influential figure in Serbian twentieth-century history.
How many times did Pašić serve as prime minister?
He held the premiership eight times in total — five under the Serbian government and three under the Yugoslav one — presiding over twenty-two separate cabinets. His cumulative twelve years as Serbia's head of government make him the longest-serving prime minister in that country's history.
What was Pašić's specific role in creating Yugoslavia?
He is widely regarded as the principal architect behind the 1918 unification of the South Slavic peoples into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. His diplomatic negotiations and political strategy were essential in binding the constituent nations into a single state.
How did Nikola Pašić's life end?
Pašić died on 10 December 1926 at the age of eighty, killed by a sudden heart attack. His passing closed a chapter in Serbian and Yugoslav politics, as he had been a towering figure in public life for more than fifty years.
Why do fans and historians consider Pašić so important?
His political career spanned nearly the entire modern Serbian state, from the late Ottoman period through the creation of Yugoslavia. His eight terms in office, his diplomatic skill, and his hand in founding a new nation make him a defining figure that any study of Balkan twentieth-century politics must address.
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