The Great People's Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs in Banat, Bačka and Baranja () or Novi Sad Assembly () was an assembly held in Novi Sad on 25 November 1918, which proclaimed the unification of Banat, Bačka and Baranya with the Kingdom of Serbia.
The end of World War I
After the capitulation of the German Empire in World War I (1918), a series of mass agreements began, which were reached in the next 5 years. Each agreement was intended for a specific country on the side of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria). Immediately after the agreements related to Germany, it was the turn of Austria-Hungary. The forthcoming agreements implied the division of the former territories of Austria-Hungary into several states and self-governing areas (besides the Austria and Hungary, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, Banat, Bačka and Baranja, Srem and many others, etc.)
When the peace negotiations ended, the Kingdom of Serbia started to carry out an offensive in the Délvidék and began the occupation. The inhabitants of almost all settlements experienced the Serbian Army as liberators and Serbian soldiers did not use any form of violence while marching to the largest cities in the region. After the annexation of Bačka and Baranya and the so-called Great People's Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs was formed in Banat, Bačka and Baranja, which took full or partial control of these areas.
Convening the assembly
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in October 1918, the regions of Banat, Bačka and Baranja were occupied by the army of the Kingdom of Serbia. The de facto administration of these areas was taken over by local Vojvodina Serbs, and the Serbian People's Committee from Novi Sad was at the head of this administration.
On 25 November 1918 the Great People's Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs was convened in Banat, Bačka and Baranja, which declared the accession of these regions to the Kingdom of Serbia (there were a total of 757 delegates at the assembly, of which 578 Serbs, 84 Bunjevci , 62 Slovaks, 21 Ruthenians, 6 Germans, 3 Šokci, 2 Croats and 1 Hungarian), and on 1 December 1918, the Kingdom of Serbia united with the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The assembly was held in Novi Sad, in the hotel "Grand Hotel Meyer" (today's building of Vojvođanska banka) and among the delegates were seven women.
According to the proclamation published on 17 November, Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs, both sexes, over the age of twenty, had the right to vote at the Great People's Assembly. Deputies were elected by municipalities, one deputy per thousand citizens, and they were elected by public assembly, by acclamation.
The Grand National Assembly was opened by the uniate priest Jovan Hranilović as the oldest MP by age. Members of the Assembly represented 211 municipalities from Banat, Bačka and Baranja, and the session was also attended by representatives of Srem, members of the SNO Novi Sad, as well as Serbian and French officers who found themselves in Novi Sad. After the constitution of the Assembly was completed, the presidency was taken over by Ignjat Pavlas, who announced Jaša Tomić, the president of the SNO Novi Sad, as the submitter of the main decision. Jaša Tomić first addressed this historical gathering with a short speech, and then read the decisions of the Assembly.
The Grand National Assembly not only declared the unification of Banat, Bačka and Baranja with the Kingdom of Serbia, but also made a decision on the formation of a provincial administration (government and assembly) in these regions. The provincial government was officially named People's Administration for Banat, Bačka and Baranja, and Jovan Lalošević was elected its president, while the provincial assembly was officially called the "Great People's Council", whose president was elected Slavko Miletić.
Decisions of the Assembly
Excerpts from the decisions of the Assembly: