Conference paper
Summary: The First World War and the ensuing changes on the island of Krk during and after the war
Anton Bozanić
Abstract
The intention of this brief paper is to focus attention on the changes that occurred on the island of Krk during and after the First World War. General conscription was conducted at the very beginning of the war. Hundreds of youths and young men were deployed to the Eastern Front in Galicia and Bukovina, and over the subsequent years, when a new front was opened on the Isonzo River, many were sent there as well. In the war’s last year, when hostilities on the Eastern Front began to die down, Salonica (Thessaloniki) became the new destination. Many joined the volunteer ranks there. At least one thousand Krk natives participated in combat operations on these fronts; over one hundred of these soldiers were slain, and not less than double that number were permanently disabled. The end of the war saw the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian state and the redrawing of borders. Even though a national committee for the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was immediately established on Krk, the Italian authorities, pursuant to the Treaty of London, occupied the island, seized the municipal and local offices and perpetrated all manner of violence. The Italian occupation lasted from 1918 to 1921. The peak of the occupiers’ terror on Krk was carried out by D’Annunzio’s arditi during the last months of Italian rule. Krk Bishop Antun Mahnić was interned, together with many other influential clergymen. The occupation of Krk ceased after the signing of the Treaty of Rapallo, while the neighbouring islands of Cres and Lošinj, with the surrounding smaller islets, were torn from their mother country and annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. The residents of Krk joined the community in the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and continued their lives under new circumstances.
Keywords
First World War; island of Krk; politics; economy; Galicia; Carpathians; Isonzo; Salonica Front
Hrčak ID:
284381
URI
Publication date:
11.11.2021.
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