Officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1878–1918 Period

Abstract

In my article, I would like to present the development of the civil administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late 19^th and early 20^th century. This interesting issue is seldom examined in historiography. One can often read opinions that the Austro-Hungarian officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina were similar to the French or British colonial administration in African or Asian countries. On the other hand, Yugoslav, or sometimes post-Yugoslav, historians assert that Austro-Hungarian officials were the tools of a repressive policy. My goal is to carefully analyse this problem using archival sources from Bosnia, Poland, and Austria. Research reveals that said officials were not only of Austrian and Hungarian nationality, but there were also many Slavs among them. I shall also examine the cultural and social contribution of the new elite, which was composed of these officials.