Killing Yugoslavia's King
King Alexander of Yugoslavia embarked on a state visit to France on 9th October, 1934 - and was shockingly shot dead by an assassin in the crowd, the aftermath of which was captured by newsreels. Yugoslavia was a fractured country; an uneasy alliance between multiple peoples governed from Belgrade, and despised by extremist groups who wanted Macedonian independence. The assassin, Bulgarian revolutionary Chernozemski, was facilitated by Italy and Hungary, dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles and seeking influence in the Balkans - but this dark alliance was covered-up by France in an attempt to keep Mussolini on-side in upcoming battles against Hitler. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how King Alexander’s death symbolised the deep fractures about to engulf Europe; review the film footage that was sexed-up by American news agencies; and reveal why Alexander was so wary of Tuesdays… Further Reading: • ‘Balkan Terrorists’ (LIFE, 1934): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SVEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54&dq=king+alexander+assassination+1934&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjW-bjO9rqIAxVEVkEAHeJoLGYQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=king%20alexander%20assassination%201934&f=false • ‘Alexander I of Yugoslavia assassinated’ (History Today, 2010): https://www.historytoday.com/archive/alexander-i-yugoslavia-assassinated#:~:text=He%20was%20a%2036-year-old%20Bulgarian%20who%20belonged%20to%20a%20Macedonian • ‘Assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia & Louis Barthou’ (British Pathé, 1934): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R3dVZdFxxo Love the show? Support us! Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… … Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices