The nature of modernization processes in the Balkans on the example of Belgrade (1878–1914)

Abstract

In 1878, Serbia finally became an independent state, which forced it to take the path of modernization and transform the traditional elements of everyday life. Belgrade, being the capital of a young state, was the first to undergo a comprehensive reform. An analysis of the structure of the population of the Serbian capital helped to determine what requests citizens can form to the surrounding urban space. In the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries there was a complication of the social structure: there were representatives of the service sector, as well as representatives of professions that require special education (doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.). The emerging political, military, and intellectual elites were acquiring features that were different from the typical Belgrade residents and strived to satisfy new needs for leisure. Responding to the requests of the capital’s residents, the Serbian authorities and the city administration tried to change the face of the city. Thus, measures were taken to improve the quality and cleanliness of streets and urban spaces. A system of urban public transport started shaping. New buildings in the city center were built in the European style, the housing stock of the city was gradually improved. The authorities passed new laws that regulated the construction of private houses in order to combat uncontrolled construction of inadequate quality. Belgrade, as the capital of independent Serbia, had to develop in accordance with state objectives and with the ideas of modernization that dominated the country, preserving the traditional elements of its everyday life and at the same time striving for European innovations.