HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY OF SERBIAN-BRITISH RELATIONS IN THE FIELD OF MUSIC AND CULTURE FROM 1914 TO 1941

• Published in: New sound 2020-01, Vol.55 (1), p.91-117
• Main Author: Mladjenović, Dimitrije
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cultural relations; Culture; Diplomatic & consular services; Education; Foreign policy; Music; Politics; World War I
• ISSN: 0354-818X; 1821-3782

[...]the aim of this research is to collect all these scattered and relatively rare data about Serbian-British relations in the field of music and culture in general, and create a mosaic that will organise and interconnect them in one place. In this context, it was very important for Serbia to retain its international subjectivity and preserve its state and national continuity.2 In view of the fact that Serbia was occupied by Austria-Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria, those countries worked actively on the suppression of Serbian culture.3 The priority for the Serbian state leadership was to send young men to the front lines, but Ljubomir Davidović, the education minister (1914-1917), maintained that education was equally important. [...]many pupils and students were given the opportunity to continue their education during the period of emigration. In view of the fact that English was still not taught in Serbian schools, this was an opportunity for Serbian pupils to learn that language.5 Namely, about 350 pupils attended school in Great Britain during the war and were allowed to complete their studies thereafter. [...]the conceptions about Englishmen in Serbian intellectual circles, with the exception of a limited number of public figures and politicians, began to be formed more significantly only during the First World War.6 After the First World War, the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes received foreign policy support from its wartime allies, mostly France, so that cultural relations between these two countries were the strongest. After the assassination of King Aleksandar Karad strok signord strok signević and Milan Stojadinović formed a government in 1935, these relations reached their peak, especially in political and economic, The decisive role in establishing and maintaining the relevant institutions in charge of our country's cultural relations with Britain was that of the 'networks' of influential people in the society, mutually linked by studying and staying abroad during the war and, later on, by political, family and economic relations.