Attempts by the Dravska Banovina Council to Alleviate the Consequences of the Great Depression through the 1933/34 Banovina Budget

Abstract

The Third Session of the Dravska Banovina Council, in February 1933, was held at a time of sharpened political tension in the wake of the publication of the federalist declaration by the former Slovene Peoples Party, as well as the intensification of the Great Depression. Having resolutely rejected a federal state system, the counselors from the governing Yugoslav Radical Peasant Democracy opted for the implementation of provincial self-government, as constitutionally prescribed. In discussing the provincial budget for 1933/34, they sought to alleviate, as much as possible, the consequences of the Great Depression. They succeeded in raising their profile in the budget discussion, where they highlighted the intensification of the Depression in agriculture, industry, handicraft, trade and financial institutions. A significant achievement was the creation of a new poor fund, intended to reduce unemployment. Through this and numerous other budgetary items, the councillors sought to address the serious social consequences of the Great Depression. However, their efforts to secure resources for a successful implementation of economic, social, educational and cultural activities were effectively nullified by the Minister of Finance who only approved financial resources for 1933/34 to the amount of 129 million dinars, i.e. almost one fifth less than proposed.