Federalist Mihailo Konstantinović

Abstract

Mihailo Konstantinović, together with his colleagues Mihailo Ilić and Đorđe Tasić, served as counsel to Prime Minister Dragiša Cvetković committed by Prince Regent Pavle to reach agreement with Vlatko Maček, the leader of the strongest Croatian political party. The August 1939 agreement resulted in the creation of the Banovina of Croatia, which thus obtained special status within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Konstantinović took part in the negotiations and significantly contributed to the drafting of the accompanying decree. The intention of the parties to the agreement, in line with the Prince Regent’s, was in the direction of introducing federalism in Yugoslavia. Konstantinović very much engaged in such efforts and drafted a decree that was to create the Banovina of Serbian Lands. Political circumstances, as well as the war, impeded the implementation of such ideas, but Konstantinović nevertheless proved himself a convinced federalist.