BJELOVARSKA POBUNA U APRILSKOM RATU 1941. GODINE
THE BJELOVAR REBELLION IN THE 1941 APRIL WAR

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyzes and reconstructs the course of the Bjelovar rebellion in the April War [the invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers]. The Bjelovar rebellion was planned, organized, and carried out by the Ustashas and their supporters during the April War, when foreign policy conditions were favorable for its realization. As such, it is an eclectic example of military disobedience and insubordination. If we look at it from the perspective of the positive legislation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it undoubtedly represented a betrayal of the state. The importance of the Bjelovar rebellion is reflected in the fact that it was the first organized action by the Ustashas, before the proclamation of the Independent State of Croatia on April 10, 1941, which was a success and was supported by the masses. The Bjelovar rebellion was the result of complex political and social circumstances that prevailed in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia on the eve of the April War, primarily an unresolved national issue and a 20-year political misunderstanding between the main political representatives of the Croatian and Serbian people. However, it was primarily caused by the desire of a part of the Croatian people to separate from the Yugoslav kingdom and form an independent state.

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