Historical Understanding Activity
In this section you will read and compare two documents (#4 and #5) describing the role of religion in Yugoslavia.
First, let’s take a step back in time to look at the Constitution of Yugoslavia. In 1974, the Yugoslavian government led by Marshal Tito approved a new Constitution that governed all six nations of Yugoslavia until war broke out in 1991. The following excerpts from the Constitution relate to national and cultural diversity.
Document 4: Excerpts from the Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Belgrade 1974.
Article 170
Citizens shall be guaranteed the right to opt for a nation or nationality and to express their national culture, and also the right to the free use of their language and alphabet. Propagating or practicing national inequality and any incitement of national, racial religious hatred and intolerance shall be unconstitutional and punishable.
Article 174
Profession of religion shall be free and shall be an individual’s private affair. Religious communities shall be separate from the state and shall be free to conduct their religious affairs and religious services…Abuse of religion and religious activities for political purposes shall be unconstitutional.
5. Please mark whether each statement is true or false:
True
False
a. Practicing a religion was forbidden in the Republic of Yugoslavia.
b. It was against the law to express sentiments against any other nationality in public.
c. Each nation, or nationality, had its own language that was used by all the people who lived in that nation.
d. It is against the law for leaders of a religious group to order members of their group to vote for a candidate from their group.