13th July Uprising Preserved the Name of Montenegro Making Montenegro Recognizable in Europe

The Director of the Historical Institute of the University of Montenegro, Radoslav Raspopović, says that July 13th is one of those dates that created and maintained the name of Montenegro and Montenegro itself.

"It is an indisputable fact that during the Second World War,uprising of the people in Montenegro was a historical phenomenon that was an example of libertarian traditions and enslaved fascism for enslaved Europe, but also the path that could only be followed. The fact that Montenegrin people found strength to start an insurgent resistance and a mass armed uprising on July 13, 1941, at a time when other European nations were enslaved, gives this event a unique phenomenon during the Second World War. "

Raspopovic states that successes achieved in the uprising have written new famous pages in the history of Montenegro, based on the scale of traditional moral values ​​and a highly elevated attitude towards national freedom. Montenegrins became famous in the world for their armed struggle for freedom.

"And the fight that the Montenegrins waged against the Ottoman Empire meant that in order for it to succeed, the whole nation was at war. Both elements of the Montenegrin tradition came to the fore in the Thirteenth of July Uprising ", Drector Raspopović says.

According to him, the fascist armies at that time recorded only victories on a huge battlefield, including the one in the Soviet Union.

"In Europe, where the fate of mankind was being decided, there was no armed resistance to Nazism and fascism. Only the Montenegrins started a massive, unequal, liberating, nationwide war against Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's main ally. It is estimated that 32,000 fighters took part in the uprising, who inflicted huge losses on the Italian fascist occupier and created the first large free territory in occupied Europe. At the same time, the first bodies of the new revolutionary government were formed, which included in their programs the principles of the need to, among other things, correct the historical injustices that existed in the Yugoslav state since 1918, in terms of national equality, " Director Raspopovic said.

The uprising in Montenegro - the first nationwide armed resistance against the occupiers in Europe, when the fascist forces were at the peak of their power, was a moral encouragement for the other enslavement of the peoples of Europe. The achieved results indicated that, says director Raspopović.

"In just a few days after the outbreak of the uprising, the insurgents expelled 4,800 occupying soldiers and officers and captured a large number of weapons. The data stated in the historical literature show that: 4,227 rifles, 85 machine guns, 118 machine guns, 22 cannons and 62 mortars were confiscated from the occupiers. The results of the insurgents' action were such that in a few days, all garrisons in Montenegro were destroyed, except in Cetinje, Podgorica and Niksic, " Raspopovic says.

The July 13th uprising, he concludes, although the work of Montenegrins, does not belong only to Montenegro. It represents bright stamp of European history.

"Thanks to it, the Italian occupier withdrew six divisions from Albania, which could have been transferred to the Eastern or Arab front. The question is what would be the course and outcome of the Second World War, without the uprising in Montenegro and the struggle of other Yugoslav peoples, "Raspopovic believes.

In the history of any European nation, there are many "glorious dates" that marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. Raspopović points out that these dates are celebrated as milestones in the commitment to different systems of social values, a commitment that changes the character of social relations, thus making a turn in their historical duration.

"There are also numerous dates in the history of the Montenegrin people that go back to the recent chronological stages, which marked the beginning, conditionally speaking, of a new era. In a historically closer perspective, they can be recognized in military victories, such as the one in Martinićiand Krusi in 1796, in Grahovac in 1858 or in Vučji dol and Fundina in the Great War of 1796-1978, in which the independence of Montenegro was founded. Above and created the conditions for its international recognition at the Berlin Congress. Certainly, the decisions on international recognition belong to the list of glorious dates from the historical past of Montenegro, as well as the moment when a new state and social perspective of the Montenegrin people can be counted on", Raspopović said.

He points out that the Congress has definitely established a modern consciousness of belonging to the state, formed the historical memory of the people closely related to the values ​​and identity contents of the society. The line of such historical perspectives included the Thirteenth July Uprising of the Montenegrin people.