Aleksa P. Milojković: A Participant and a Witness of The 1883 Timok Uprising Cover Image

Алекса П. Милојковић: учесник и сведок Тимочке буне 1883.
Aleksa P. Milojković: A Participant and a Witness of The 1883 Timok Uprising

Author(s): Jelena Milojković-Đurić
Subject(s): Political history, Social history, 19th Century
Published by: Istorijski institut, Beograd

Summary/Abstract: During the people's uprising in the region of Timok of 1883, special committees were newly established to promote peace and order. The first Committee for Peace and Order was established on October 27, 1833 thanks to the initiative of the local civic leaders, only two days after the initial riots on the streets of Banja. Aleksa P. Milojković, a well-respected teacher, director and supervisor of the schools in Banja, became an active member of this Committee. He negotiated the necessity of disarmament of the people's army in order to avoid bloodshed, ensure the safety of its citizens, and protect governmental assets, while promoting a peaceful settlement of contested issues. The general malaise in the country reflected the political, economic and bureaucratic set up, and was the main instigator of an apparently spontaneous upheaval. After the suppression of the uprising by the regular army, Milojković was questioned by the police and declared as one the most influential ideological leaders of the upheaval. Milojkovi}, a member of the Radical party, repeatedly denied the accusation of an organized upheaval in Banja or in the county. In fact, the radical leaders themselves did not consider organizing an uprising at the time. Yet, Milojkovi} was sentenced and incarcerated. He left his recollection of the days spent in prison in his autobiographical narrative "Crte iz Zaječarske Bune", published during 1890 in the paper Radikalac. Moreover, Milojkovi} recalled a number of outstanding civic leaders who were imprisoned with him rendering a valuable testimony of these events. As a respected teacher, Milojkovi} advanced the methodology of teaching by publishing two textbooks for the schools of the Serbian Kingdom, "Učenik" and the "History of the World". He also penned his thoughts about the necessity of reforms in the elementary schools of the Serbian kingdom in a series of articles published in [abački Glasnik in 1887. Most notable is Milojković's dedicated engagement as a Board member of Committees for Peace in 1883, promoting the idea that peace could be achieved without fighting and only with writing about the feasibility of an orderly society. In addition his life-long role as teacher, peoples' advocate, and contributor to number of dailies, pointed to his active involvement in the social and political dialogue of his days.

  • Issue Year: 2005
  • Issue No: 52
  • Page Range: 287-298
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Serbian