And great to see you here on ET more often again!
Throughout the War, the Chetnik movement remained relatively inactive against the occupation forces, and increasingly collaborated with the Axis, losing its international recognition as the Yugoslav resistance force. After a brief initial period of cooperation, the two factions quickly started fighting against each-other. Gradually, the Chetniks ended up primarily fighting the Partisans instead of the occupation forces, and started cooperating with the Axis in their struggle to destroy the resistance, receiving increasing amounts of logistical assistance (in particular, from Italy).
During the Yugoslav wars, Serb paramilitaries often self-identified as Chetniks. Vojislav Šešelj's Serbian Radical Party formed the White Eagles which was identified as Chetniks. Vuk Drašković's Serbian Renewal Movement was closely associated with the Serbian Guard, which was also associated with Chetniks and monarchism.
In late 2004, the National Assembly of Serbia passed a new law that equalized the rights of the former Chetnik members with those of the former Partisans, including the right to war pensions. Rights were granted on the basis that both were anti-fascist movements that fought occupiers, and this formulation has entered the law. The vote was 176 for, 24 against and 4 abstained. The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) of Slobodan Milošević was the one voting against the decision.
Today Chetnik activity is seriously restricted or banned in all neighbouring countries other than Serbia and Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Milorad Pupovac of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party in Croatia, has called the organization "fascist collaborators". In 2003, the Montenegrin government forbade the building of a statue of Pavle Đurišić near Berane.
We have had discussions of similar Polish and Baltic factions in the past... A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
They were both patriots, and fascist.
Well I don't think so. As I said looks like they did cooperate at some points with Germans and Italians against communists but they were far from fascists. Ideologically they were NO fascists. As opposed to Ustashe that were WORSE then German fascists.Ideologically and in practice... Would Americans give Legion of Merit to a fascist? Looking at the present time...Well one never knows haha. What your Croat friends have to say about Ustashe ?...I am curious...
Hey, it's well-documented that the Americans enlisted former Nazis to fight the Communists after WWII, so...
I never debated WWII with my Croatian friends, but I can tell you a large part of them had no patience for Tudjman.
Interestingly it tended to be either older people, or the girls my age. The boys my age (they were between 15 and 20 in the early 90's) were all gung-ho nationalists. Must be a side effect of the high testosterone levels. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
Also you really shouldn't make the mistake of saying that because they fought against one set of fascists that somehow makes them non-fascist. The Polish fascist resistance group NSZ, for example, consistently fought the Nazis during the occupation, but they were very much fascists - more so actually than the Chetniks, and just as much as the Ustashe.
We have had this debate before, and I have conceded your point that Franco was a soft fascist.
But I'll still call him a fascist anyway even if it's not 100% accurate in political science terms.
Franco may not have been a fascist, but the CEDADE and the Falange were straight-out pascists, and he folded them into his National Movement. A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
Not quite sure how the Ustashe were worse than the Nazis.
Those who presented (or still present) their selves as Chetnics nowadays have absolutely nothing to do with real Chetnics organization that is actually non-existent nowadays. Some oldies may still live somewhere in exile but they are really old and totally out of touch with what is really happening on the Balkan. Sheshelj used them to get hold of their money representing him self as Chetnic (and he can't be farther then that).Similar thing is with Drashkovic. Those oldies finally realized those false Chetnics are only interested in their money and they do not want to have anything with those thieves.
