Original scientific paper

The Dynamics of Territorial Reorganization of Local People’s Committees on the Example of Varaždin District

Ana Tuk ; Državni arhiv u Varaždinu

Abstract

During seven years of their existence local people's committees underwent several major territorial reorganizations. After several postwar months of arbitrary and unplanned formation of government bodies, the number and structure of local people's committees somewhat stabilized after the first election held on 30th September 1945. Given the democratic postulates of the national liberation struggle, local government bodies should have ensured the immediate participation of the population in the management of public affairs, so they were territorially limited to one village or two to three small villages. The first systematic territorial reform of local authorities was carried out in January 1947. Namely, it was more and more evident that the local people's committees were incompetent in managing administrative affairs, so the state initiated the elimination of small and unefficient local people's committees, in order to raise the quality of professional services on the level of larger administrative units. In 1950 the process of decentralization began. In order to reduce the degree of dependence of lower administrative units on the republican government, the Law on administrative-territorial division was passed that merged small local administrative units and created economically developed areas. The next year it was observed that the newly created administrative units were still small and economically weak, so the process of amalgamation of the local people's committees still continued to be finally stabilized in January 1952. All the implemented reforms are characterized by consolidation of territory. The average number of 2 settlements in 1945. was raised to an average of 7 settlements in one local administrative unit up to 1952. On the other hand, the population increased by 242.27%. Along with the merger of the territory one can trace a reduction in the number of local people's committees. Of the initial 57 after seven years only 17 local people's committees lasted. Although the analysis of territorial reorganization was made on the example of Varazdin district, it may be relevant for a better understanding of circumstances that caused the spatial restructuring of the local people's committees in most districts on the Croatian territory.

Keywords

administrative-territorial structure; territorial reorganization; merger of territory; local people's committees; local administration; Varaždin district; decentralization

Hrčak ID:

117266

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/117266

Publication date:

11.12.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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