OSNIVANJE ORGANIZACIJA RADNIČKOG POKRETA BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE I NJIHOVA DRUŠTVENO-POLITIČKA ORIJENTACIJA
THE FOUNDATION OF WORKERS’ MOVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND THEIR SOCIO-POLITICAL ORIENTATION

Summary/Abstract: The workers’ movement of Bosnia and Herzegovina was born and began to develop at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries in the specific socio-political and socio-economic conditions. The inevitability of the historical development of this country imposed at the same time a struggle for national liberation from foreign powers, plus the struggle for the liquidation of the feudal agrarian system of serfdom, plus a struggle for social justice. The workers’ movement was involved in the activities concerning these enormous social problems proportionately to its strength and degree of organization, but, at the same time, relative to the internal political conditions and the influences of the international workers' movement. The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, after a series of uprisings and rebellions, suffered the historical fate of being simply handed over from one outside ruler to another. This change took place without any radical changes in social relationships. The semi-feudal relationships, which had been left behind by the Turkish Empire, simply associated with the modern capitalist system of colonial rule by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy which subordinated to its own interests the economic strength of the people and the development of their political life. The relative economic prosperity had barely affected the Bosnian and Herzegovinian social structure of the Turkish period. Even on the eve of the World War I, more than 650,000 people were attached to certain serf-relationships, and more than 86V0 of the population lived off the over¬ -extended and very backward agriculture. This state of affairs had an influence on all forms of socio-political life, and on the development of the workers’ movement as well. The Austro-Hungarian government exploited the internal national and religious divisions which existed and which supported certain domestic political forces and clericalism as well, all of which in combination formed a united front to oppose the workers’ movement. In such socio-political and economic conditions, which made Bosnia and Herzegovina backwards in relation to other European and Balkan countries, the workers’ movement was created and began to develop. From the first workers’ drives, at the beginning of the 90’s of the last century, through the founding of the first supporting workers’ societies, until the creation of a united sindicate organization, all the activities of organized labor were aimed at providing for the most fundamental conditions for survival. In these activities the most notable persons were workers from other regions of the Austro¬ -Hungarian empire. The founding of the Executive Workers’ Council on August 27, 1905, meant a great step forward in the creation of a modern workers' movement. Although the rules of the Council, in accordance with the requirements of the state, stated that it was »without political significance«, it became an organized base for political work and for the creation of political organization of workers. A general strike of the workers of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May of 1906, represented, at the same time, an end of the sindicate phase and beginning of the political organization of the workers. Only with the atmosphere created by this strike was it posibble to take more daring steps in the creation of the Social-Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina The fouding congress for this Party, held the 28th and 29th of June, 1909 in Sarajevo, signified the completion of the process of making organized labor in this country an established economic, social and political factor; thus the formation of the modern Bosnian and Herzegovinian workers’ movement was completed. This movement was constituted on the ideals and political concepts and positions of the Second International, i. e. on the examples of its sections represented by the Social Democratic parties of Germany, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, and Slavonia. The Social Democratic party of Bosnia and Herzegovina stood for the ending of feudal relationships and against colonial exploitation, and for »the introduction of a socialist society in place of the capitalist one«, but it accepted »legitimate rigths« and parlamentarianism as the methods for striving towards these goals. Accepting self-determination and self-government of the people »in the state, regional, and local organizations« the party regarded all Yogoslav nationalities as »one united people«. The period of development of the workers’ movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 1909 was characterized by the fact that the working class underwent organization according to the principles of the modern sindicate movement of Central European countries and that, following this example, it was quickly politically organized. The movement was primarily concerned with economic and social struggles, but the political conditions in the country under foreign rule necessarily led to the inclusion of a significant element of political activities in their struggle. They followed various examples within the frame of the Second Internationale in their ideological and political work, due to a feeling of lack of ideological maturity, political decisiveness, and their own ideas for the strategic problems of the working class struggle. But in spite of all this, there was evidence of an original and individual orientation which reflected recognition of the conditions for all significant questions of socio political life in Bosnia + Herzegovina.

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