Currents of History 1/2019

Uroš Miketić

Nikola Pašić on Politika’s caricatures 1921–1929

Abstract: Nikola Pašić, a major political figure of the first quarter of the 20th century, marked the beginning years of the Kingdom of SHS. The research shows his political activity during the second and third decades of the 20th century viewed through the cartoons published in the Belgrade daily, Politika. In accordance with his dominant influence on the course of Yugoslav politics, Pašić was often the subject of caricatures. Bearing in mind the topic of the exhibition, we have formed several thematic units. The caricatures put emphasis on his undisputed role in the Radical Party and on the domestic political scene, in addition to relations with other political parties (Džemijet, HRSS-HSS), while also showing some of his personal traits. Generally speaking, the caricatures painted a negative picture of Pašić.

Key words: Caricature, Politics, Kingdom of SHS, Nikola Pašić, 1921–1929

Summary

Belgrade daily Politika will publish between 1921–1929 tens of caricatures with Nikola Pašić as an object of the same. With their thematic classification, we set apart several clear units. Pašić was treated in the context of the party hegemony and the dominant politician of the Kingdom of SHS; it also related to his relationship with certain parties (Dzemijet and HRSS/HSS of Stjepan Radić), and certain personal characteristics were also presented.
Caricature has heightened the sovereignty of the Radical Party in the context of rough calculation with the internal opposition. Also, the dominance of the Yugoslav political scene is recognized on the same caricatures. The inter–party relations between Pašić and his Radical Party with Dzemijet and HRSS/HSS demonstrated all the political corruption of the radical leader for coming to power or survival, even in those cases that are detrimental to the interests of their own people. An unprincipled and undemocratic politician, Politika’scaricatures will also attribute his skepticism, nepotism, etc. According to everything, the formed picture of Pasić's was generally negative, regardless of whether his character in party life was interpreted, at the state level, in two directions of inter-party relations, or, in the narrower sense, by the emphasis on certain negative features.