Pašic´, Nikola

(1845–1926)

   Nikola Pašic´ was a Serbian politician, who, from 1903 until 1918, served as Serbia ’s prime minister. His years before 1914 were marked by continuing dissent with the military, who demanded a Greater Serbia. With the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne on June 28, 1914, Pašic found himself implicated in the murder. Pašic´, however, succeeded in placing responsibility for World War I with Austria-Hungary. A German-Austrian offensive in the autumn of 1915 swept the Serbians into exile. Pašic´ opposed a union of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes that took place in December 1918. He found himself out of power but served as the Serbian representative at the Paris Peace Conference. Pašic´ returned as premier in 1921, and again for two years before his death.

   FURTHER READING:

    Albertini, Luigi. The Origins of the War of 1914. 3 vols. Translated by Isabella M. Massey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1952;

    Radan, Peter, and Aleksandar Pavkovic´, eds. The Serbs and Their Leaders in the Twentieth Century. Aldershot-Brookfield-Singapore-Sydney: Ashgate, 1997.

   MARTIN MOLL