The Serbian Radical Party 1881–1903: Ideology and Its Sources

Introduction

Two important aspects of the Serbian Radical Party were its political ideology and its practices. The major tenets of the movement’s ideology were constitutional reform, introduction of parliamentarianism, state organization according to the principle of self-government by local authorities (municipalities and districts), establishment of democracy, including freedom of press, association, and public assembly, and a national program. The major characteristics of the Serbian Radical movement could be summed up as follows: flexibility, pragmatism, cohesion, and the use of demagoguery. Ideological tenets may be inferred from the movement’s political programs, drafts of the constitution, and numerous writings and articles. The characteristics of the movement were shaped by the political reality in which it functioned and struggled to survive. One aspect, the ideological, provided firmness, consistency, and rationale; the other aspect, the practical, ensured popularity, success, and power. Together, they formed the essence of the Serbian Radical movement.²

Each of these elements of the Serbian Radical movement took shape gradually over a period of ideological formation. Once they became fully defined and accepted, the Radical movement had its firm theoretical ground. At this point, it can be classified as a movement of radical-democratic orientation. The national program, another basic aspect of their political ideology, belongs to its external ingredients. Namely, the Radicals viewed national emancipation, liberation, and unification of the Serbs as originating from internal freedom. In other words, the national program was the result of democratic changes, and not the reverse.

Formation of the People’s Radical Party

The Serbian Radical movement was politically organized in the form of the People’s Radical Party. The appearance of the party’s newsletter, Samouprava (Self-Government), the day after Christmas (according to the Julian calendar) in 1881, marked the official formation of the first real political party in Serbia, prior to its rival parties: Liberal and Progressive parties. In the first issue of the party’s political, literary, and economic newsletter, the program of the People’s Radical Party was published. It was signed by 38 deputies, with “another 38 fellow deputies” whose names were not disclosed. The Radical program was therefore accepted by 76 members of the Assembly. The publication of the party’s program in the first issue of Samouprava was accompanied by a statement that the signing of the program was open to all members of the Assembly, and “gentlemen who wanted to sign the application form to the Party may do so with the deputy Mr. Nikola Pašić.”³ It seemed that almost all the deputies aligned with the Radicals.⁴

A group of peasant deputies led by Adam Bogosavljević joined the Radical club. Under their influence, Radicals acquired the character of a class peasant party at the very beginning. In this group, the most loyal peasant tribunes stood out: Ranko Tajsić, Vasa Stošić, Sava and Novak Milošević, etc. They represented a strong left movement among the Radicals that did not want to make any political compromises to anyone.⁵ Under their influence, the Radicals largely managed to keep their grit and firmness. However, this did not result in a splintering of the party factions. The first splitting of the party followed the Radical-Progressive Agreement of 1901, when the so-called Independent Radicals separated themselves from the Old Radicals—followers of the agreement—and formed a new, separate party.

Only the Socialists, led by Dimitrije Cenić (1851–88), did not wish to join the Radicals. On the contrary, they declared political war against the Radicals, accusing them of betraying the socialist program of Svetozar Marković. Cenić and his like-minded group of intellectuals (Dragiša Stanojević, Lazar Nančić) saw in the Radicals their greatest opponents. Thus, the Radicals and Socialists began a merciless struggle against each other, between the unfaltering followers of an idea and those who were classified as traitors to that idea.

The Radicals were sharply criticized by other parties besides the Socialists, mostly by the Progressivists. King Milan Obrenović (1854–1901)⁶ also joined their critics. He assumed that Radicals had always been an anarchist...