Community In Bosnia Research Articles

The Waqf of Mustafa Kotezli in the Village of Kotezi, in the Ljubinje District, within the Holdings of Gazi Husrev Beg’s Library

In the Archives of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the holdings of Gazi Husrev Beg’s Library, archival documents dating from the period between 1894 and 1953 were discovered, significantly enhancing the existing historiographical knowledge about the waqf of Mustafa Kotezli in the village of Kotezi, located in the Ljubinje district. The first part of the paper provides data on the immovable property registered in the land registry under the waqf of the mosque in Kotezi, revealing that the waqif’s actual name was Mustafa, not Mujo as previously believed, as well as the amount of the waqf’s income, which was allocated for the imam and the mutawalli. The second part of the paper introduces to the scholarly community archival documents that place the construction of the mosque in Kotezi in the latter half of the 17th century and critically examines, in contrast to available historiographical knowledge, the local tradition asserting that it is the oldest mosque in Lower Herzegovina. The third part is dedicated to archival records concerning the construction of the maktab ibtida’iyya in the village of Kotezi, which had been thought to originate from the Ottoman period. The archival documents provide numerical data on student enrollment in this maktab and the public elementary school in Kotezi, along with details of the economic, political, cultural, and other factors that hindered religious life in Kotezi from achieving its expected outcomes. The fourth part supplements the biographical data on imams, muallims, and religious teachers who served in Kotezi. The fifth and final part examines the demographic consequences of World War II, during which the Kotezi mosque was severely damaged.

Aspects of Improving Human Resource Management and the Quality of Service Provision in Therapeutic Communities in Bosnia And Herzegovina

The market position of business organizations today, in addition to quality requirements, is also defined by the increasingly expressed demands of interested parties to demonstrate the ability to effectively and responsibly manage business in the segment of occupational health and safety protection. Responding to such market demands, organizations increasingly decide to establish a health and safety management system at work, which should ensure the elimination or reduction of health and safety risks for all In the last twenty years, a new concept of weaning drug addicts (psychoactive substances) has appeared in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is carried out in therapeutic communities, and which offers a different approach and treatment program by means of which users can more effectively establish long-term abstinence as the primary or final goal in the fight against. Therapeutic communities as an innovative form of weaning in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the world, are still not a sufficient subject of research, especially when it comes to human resources, standards, and other parameters that would help us to have a better insight into the statistical data on the number of cured persons or even. This article aims to show some of the possible solutions when it comes to improving services and managing human resources, to achieve the best possible results in the implementation of the treatment itself, referring to current scientific trends in this field.

Authority of the International Court of Justice in Islamic Jurisprudence

This article explores how the authority of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is perceived in fatwas on genocide and war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 war. Sources include the ICJ’s judgement in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro); verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia; two fatwas from the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Council of Muftis on war crimes against the Bosniak populations of Srebrenica, Žepa, Prijedor and the Sana Valley; and preparatory materials written by expert groups that preceded the fatwas’ issuance. Despite initial criticism of the localisation of genocide in the ICJ’s judgement, the fatwas recognise its authority in cases that apply the Genocide Convention. The argumentation of these fatwas is based on the higher objectives of Islamic law (maqasid al-Sharia), in accordance with the role of Islamic normativity in a secular state.

Hidden religious minorities in rural areas of post-socialist countries - the example of rural Adventist communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hidden religious minorities in rural areas of post-socialist countries - the example of rural Adventist communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hifz – learning the qur'an by heart in the educational institutions of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Allah honored people with the Revelation and it is a great blessing for them. Reading the Qur'an by looking at it and memorizing it, as well as thinking about its meanings, are among the most valuable things that a religious person can do during life. The aim of this paper is to present hifz classes at Islamic faculties, madrasahs, and in student dormitories. It also attempts to point out the important role of the Islamic community in promoting the study and memorization of the Qur'an. Moreover, it deals with the analysis of the hard work on revitalizing the memorization (hifz) of the Qur'an in the educational institutions of the Islamic community, as well as with defining the relationship to the hifz, i.e., learning the Qur'an by heart. The establishment of hifz classes within educational institutions of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond contributed to the development and promotion of the Qur’an memorization. The work of all classes for learning the Qur'an by heart (hifz) was analyzed and reviewed, and then reasons for their work were given, while former results as well numerous other things closely related to their work were also considered. We tried to provide an adequate and as complete as possible overview of the hifz classes in our region. Keywords: the Qur'an, hifz, classes, madrasah, faculty, education.

LOCALLY CHARACTERISED REPETITIVE ILLEGAL LANDFILLS CLASSIFICATION

Illegal dumping of waste material is present in almost all local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including in the areas of urban and rural local communities of the City of Tuzla. Uncontrolled waste dumping at the landfields, as the illegal dumping, are created by dumping different types of waste material in areas that are not intended for waste material disposal. These are areas that are usually next to roads with less traffic, or in the immediate vicinity of roads where access is possible for motor vehicles with a lower load capacity. Illegal landfills have a direct negative impact on the living environment from several aspects. Primarily, watercourses and soil are polluted, the ambient space is disturbed, and by attracting animals, there is the possibility of infections that are dangerous for the population. Waste materials in illegal landfills are often deliberately set on fire, which causes additional problems of air pollution with smoke and gases resulting from combustion, as well as the possibility of fire outbreaks, especially in forest areas. In the current practice, illegal waste landfills did not have scientific and professional interest because they are often of a temporary nature and were not considered interesting from the aspect of the scientific approach to defining landfills by different classifications. This paper defines the classification of illegal landfills in the spheres of data processing possibilities of interest for the treatment of illegal waste landfills, and the experimental definition of the classification was confirmed on the example of the recording and analysis of illegal waste landfills in the local community of Kiseljak, City of Tuzla in the phase of implementing the project „Inclusive development of Kiseljak community for improvement of social and economic aspect of citizens, emphasizing Roma population“, finance by Foundation of Tuzla community, Tuzla. The basis of the classification is made up of repetitive local waste landfills, while permanent regional waste landfills are not the subject of research and classification since there are already known classifications for permanent waste material landfills. Consent for the publication of the paper was given by the Tuzla Community Foundation, which financed the referral research within the project "Inclusive development of the Kiseljak community, for the improvement of the social and economic aspects of the citizens' life, especially the Roma", implemented by the Tuzla Community Foundation in partnership and financial support of the Freudenberg Foundation and the German Federal Ministry for External Development (BMZ).

Humanitarian Work of Religious Communities as the Basis of the Practice of Social Care in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The article discusses the contribution of the humanitarian activities of the most represented religious communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the development of the practice of social care and social support. The influence of the social teachings of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Islamic religious communities, whose ideological foundations are found in the Bible and the Qur'an, is considered. The article provides an overview of the historical conditioning of the practice of social activities of religious communities, with a special focus on the periods when the state's response to the difficulties of citizens' lives was weak and when space was left for religious communities to engage and practice in the areas of protection and support for socially sensitive groups of the population. Solidarity and voluntariness were the ideological foundations, and charity was the mechanism for practicing the social protection function of religious communities in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the past but also today. The article ends with the message that the area of social activism and charitable work of religious communities is an area of better interreligious and interethnic understanding and cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Change of Ownership of the Waqf in the area of Gornji Rahic in the Socialist period (1945-1990)

One of the important measures of the communist government after the Second World War was the change of ownership of private property and the property of religious communities. For the mentioned changes in the field of ownership, numerous regulations were passed, which related to the nationalization, confiscation and expropriation of real estate. The regulations were for the purpose of the legitimate action of the state in terms of changing the ownership of real estate. With these measures, the entire waqf property, which until then was outside the scope of state interventions regarding the change of ownership, came under attack. The aforementioned processes were carried out in a short period of time and very radically, whereby in many cases the established legal procedures adopted by the communist authorities were not followed. Through nationalization, confiscation and expropriation, significant property of the Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina was usurped. The usurpation of property significantly weakened the Islamic community economically, which had an impact on the work of its most important institutions. Due to additional government measures, the most important religious and educational institutions of the Islamic community, such as madrasahs and sharia courts, ceased to exist, while the number of schools was significantly reduced. With the usurpation of property, the Islamic community lost a significant economic support, which had an impact on its further functioning and influence on the wider masses, which to a good extent were very quickly affected by the process of atheism, which was one of the important goals of the communist government. The Islamic community in the Brcko region had significant waqf property at its disposal. It was about various properties, which were of great importance in the religious, educational, economic and social segments in the places where the waqfs were located. The Islamic community in the area of the municipality of Gornji Rahic, which was located in the Brcko region at the time, had significant waqf real estate, especially land holdings. Until the establishment of the communist government, they were used to support religious buildings in this area. With the establishment of the new government, according to the available data of a significant land area, four waqfs in this area were hit by the measures of the new communist government. It was about the foundation of the Gornji Rahic mosque, the foundation of the Ograđenovac mosque, the foundation of the Iptidaija school in Gornji Rahic and the Fatima Kujundzic foundation. The aforementioned waqfs came under attack based on the Law on Agrarian Reform and Colonization, because they had more land than was determined by the said regulation. Therefore, already in 1946, the government carried out the process of expropriation of the land of the mentioned waqfs and took a total of 66 dunums of land and 320 m2 from them, while leaving a total of 17 dunums and 532 m2 of land to the Islamic community, i.e. the mosque waqf in Gornji Rahic. The Islamic community sent a series of complaints to the competent institutions regarding this attitude of the authorities, which were not accepted. So it was left without an important economic basis necessary for its continued existence. The aforementioned expropriated land was included in the land fund as state property, which was allocated to various users: agrarian interests, agricultural cooperatives and other state institutions. It is interesting that the waqf property, which had the status of a cemetery (cemetery), was the subject of expropriation in this case. In the process of cadastral marking of expropriated land, numerous mistakes were made, which in the later period represented a problem in the implementation of the process of registering the allocated land in the ownership of agrarian stakeholders. The mentioned problem in the paper is treated on a micro level, but the available facts indicate that it was an established practice of the communist government, which was widely used immediately after the Second World War, related to the change of property ownership of religious communities, including the Islamic community. In this way, the economic strength of the Islamic community was significantly reduced, which will have an impact on its overall status in the time of socialism, which was also shown in the example of the usurpation of the Islamic community's waqf in the municipality of Gornji Rahic in Brcko county.

Utjecaj zadovoljstva poslom na posvećenost zaposlenika u neprofitnim organizacijama

Given that, in the realization of the mission of a non-profit organization, employees play the most important role, in this research we questioned the employees' job satisfaction and their dedication to the organization. The problem question was aimed at examining the influence of job satisfaction on organizational commitment. Data were collected through a questionnaire from respondents in the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sample consisted of employees of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The statistical software package for data analysis -SPSS -was used to analyze the collected attitudes of 602 employees. The main research hypothesis was: H1. Job satisfaction has a direct impact on the organizational commitment of employees of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The obtained results confirmed the main hypothesis. The research also confirmed that within the framework of the functioning of the aforementioned non-profit organization, it would be important to research other topics in the field of human resource management.

Four Stages of Islamic Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Since its formation, an important task of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been to establish and manage its own education system. Ever since the late 19th century, education of the Islamic community is torn between Muslims’ actual needs and realistic possibilities, between vocational education for the needs of the Islamic community and education that encompasses as many pupils and students as possible. Debates about education abound with conservative and reforming approaches, interference by state administrations, tardiness and indecisiveness of the structures of the Islamic Community. The paper identifies the following four stages of Islamic education: the period of educational isolation, educational inclusion, educational marginalization and educational relevance.

Državna politika razdvajanja službenika Islamske zajednice u Bosni i Hercegovini (1945-1963)

The attitude of the new authorities in Yugoslavia (and Bosnia and Herzegovina) towards the officials of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the end of the Second World War to 1963, especially the state policy of separating „reactionary“ from „positive“ officials of this community, seems to be of the most important segments for the overall understanding of communist policy towards religious communities. So far, we cannot boast of fundamental work on this issue, not only because the original archival material is scarce, but also because there was a lack of good will to explain this problem factually and comprehensively. The issue of separating the „positive“ from the „reactionary“ officials of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been the subject of continuous attention of the federal and republican commissions for religious affairs, as well as other authorities that more or less participated in creating and implementing state policy towards religious communities, including the Islamic Community. This paper contextualises the legal and political post-war circumstances in which the Islamic Community operated and analyses the manifestations and effects of the communist policy of establishing differentiation among the officials of this community. Religious rights and freedoms prescribed by the federal and republican constitutions did not simultaneously imply their concrete implementation in practice. The practical application of religious rights and freedoms on the ground largely depended on the will of party organisations and their political goals. In the category of those who should be disempowered, the communist government included the Islamic Community, which according to the ideological views of this government should have been economically weakened by a series of restrictive laws. That is why, in the first months after its liberation, AVNOJ'S Yugoslavia began to speed up the adoption of legal regulations that limited the property and rights of religious communities, including the Islamic Community. The new government did not respect the specific elements of religious communities, treating them in exactly the same way as other landowners and private entrepreneurs. By 1963, the communist government had adopted a set of legal regulations on the basis of which the state proceeded to confiscate the property of the Islamic Community through legal mechanisms of confiscation, nationalisation, sequestration and expropriation. Along with the disempowerment measures, the measures to bring this community under control by the government were also applied. For this purpose, the policy of separating „reactionary“ from „positive“ officials of the Islamic Community was used, among other things. Numerous reports, analyses and letters from the Commission for Religious Affairs pointed out that, unlike the leading representatives of the Islamic Community in the lower structures of this community, the readiness to cooperate with the authorities was not at such a level. Due to such assessments, the Commission considered that the officials of the Islamic Community on the ground were for the most part „reactionary“, and that „in a sense there is a danger of separating the top“ from the lower officials of this community. Numerous materials from the Commission on Religious Affairs from the 1950s and early 1960s stated that there were still „reactionary elements“ within the Islamic Community who were opposed to the socialist social order. However, especially since the late 1950s, it has been pointed out that such individuals are few and are unable to have any decisive influence on members of the Islamic community. Therefore, the governing structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the late 1950s stated that in general it can be concluded that the situation in the Islamic Community is „very favourable“. In their opinion, the officials and the vast majority of officials are patriotic and willing to cooperate, as well as to accept all proposals that are in accordance with the Constitution and laws. The state policy of awarding decorations was also in the function of supporting and affirming the „positive“ officials of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Uzurpacija imovine vakufa džamije Azizije u Brezovom polju i džamije u Omerbegovači u srezu Brčko, nakon Drugog svjetskog rata

Immediately after the Second World War, the new communist government implemented harsh-radical measures aimed at changing ownership relations. Thus, the property of „enemies of the state“, emigrated Germans, private companies and banks, and the property of religious communities were hit. The property of the Catholic Church and the Islamic Community was particularly affected. In order to usurp the property of these institutions, the new communist government passed a set of regulations, such as those related to confiscation of property, nationalization, expropriation, and numerous other processes, such as agrarian reform and colonization. The adopted regulations gave the state the legitimacy to change the ownership of the property. These were complex processes, which left numerous consequences in the field of economic, social, legal and other areas, both for certain institutions and individuals. In this way, the new communist government wanted at all costs to disable the institutions it considered hostile, such as religious communities, and to settle those who contributed to the People's Liberation Movement and who supported their ideology. The aspirations of the communist authorities went in the direction of changing social and property relations and creating a new society, based on a new ideology. The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina had significant waqf property, which contained numerous residential, business and office buildings, as well as significant land holdings. In the wider area of Brčko, the Islamic Community owned significant waqf property. Although it was a property that was protected from the aspect of religious (Sharia) law, in terms of any change of ownership, it came under the impact of the measures of the communist government. In the area of Brčko, the usurpation of the property of the Islamic Community began immediately after the establishment of the communist government and lasted until the 1990s and the establishment of the multi-party system. In the wider area of Brčko, property was confiscated from the Islamic Community through nationalization, confiscation, expropriation, arondation, and other measures adopted by the communist authorities. The same was done with the property of the waqf of Azizija mosque in Brezovo Polje and the waqf of the mosque in Omerbegovača in the Brčko district. This was a strong blow to the Islamic Community, which subsequently weakened economically, and within the Islamic Community ceased to exist many institutions and facilities that have been the bearers of the overall activities of these institutions for decades. Among other things, madrasas were abolished, a significant number of mektebs were closed, the charity „Merhamet“ ceased to operate, and many other important functions of the Islamic Community were completely or partially endangered. The goal was to weaken the property economically and confiscate the influence of the Islamic Community on society, in order to carry out its atheism, which was one of the important tasks of the new communist government. We will see the consequences of such actions on the example of the usurpation of the property of the waqf of Azizija mosque in Brezovo Polje and the waqf of the mosque in Omerbegovača in the Brčko district, immediately after the Second World War.

Ethnic and regional stereotypes in the TV series “Konak kod Hilmije”

Ethnic and regional stereotypes as simplified views of a people within a certain community based on their ethnic and regional affiliation are observed in this paper through the TV series “Konak kod Hilmije” (konak, local small private hotel with a restaurant), broadcast in 2018 and 2019 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, as well as in the diaspora countries of the former Yugoslavia. Ethnic and regional stereotypes were found during the analysis of the series’ rhetoric and discourse. The series is set in Sarajevo during World War II, more precisely in a restaurant with an overnight stay run by a local Sarajevo host. A handful of different characters moving through the tavern and konak has produced ethnic and regional stereotypes, in addition to their personal interests and allegedly reduced national tensions. These stereotypes run through the series as an important part of ethnic humor, whose content is primarily on an ethnic/national basis, but also contain geographical/regional or social foundations. Humor at the expense of various social groups, religious and other greetings, cultural background of the inhabitants of the old part of Sarajevo, retraditionalization in the domain of religion and language, indicates that the TV series “Konak kod Hilmije” is critical of these phenomena and processes in public discourse, mostly towards the simplified view of ethnic/regional communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Problemi priznanja Islamske vjerske zajednice u Austriji / Problems of recognition of the Islamic Community in Austria

Starting with the description of the often neglected relativization, doubts and common misconceptions regarding the legal recognition of the Islamic Community in Austria the author sees a manifestation of the same problem in the new Islam Act of 2015. In a first step the article therefore examines as usual the guarantees of constitutional law with regard to legal recognition and systematic problems regarding the case of the Islamic Community. However, by referring to a quite unknown decision of the Higher Regional Court of Linz from 1961, the author questions the common narrative of the genesis of the Islamic Community in Austria, establishes a historical and legal connection to the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and introduces an alternative approach to the problem of recognition of the Islamic Community.

The Role and of Women in the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Under its constitution, the official Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegov-ina (henceforth the ICBiH) is autonomous in determining its activities and man-aging its property. It is guaranteed this right, as are the other religious communi-ties and churches in Bosnia and Herzegovina, under the 2004 Law on Freedom of Religion and the Legal Status of the Churches and Religious Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under its constitution the ICBiH’s goal is to encourage all its members to live in accordance with Islamic norms, which it pursues by promot-ing good and discouraging evil. It is concerned with the Islamic upbringing and education of its members and committed to preserving Islamic marital, familial, and social values through an equal commitment by men and women. Under Article 1 of the current Constitution of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (henceforth the constitution), the ICBiH is the sole and unique com-munity of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sanjak, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia, and of Muslim Bosniaks outside their respective homelands and oth-er Muslims who accept it as their own. The constitution cites four basic princi-ples for the organisation of the Muslim community, its institutions, organs, and activities, namely: the Qur’an, practice/the sunnah of Muhammed, a.s., Bosniak Islamic tradition, and the requirements of the time.

Current challenges and societal responsibility of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Hercegovina

The Islamic Community has been the core organisation serving the needs of Muslims in and from Bosnia and Herzegovina for 140 years. It has faced diverse challenges over its history but the current are different. Challenges currently being faced by Muslims and society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (and elsewhere) include how to counter accusations of radicalization and violent extremism, how to make a meaningful contribution to peace and stability, and how to respond to the pandemic, climate change, and the migrant crisis. This paper examines the Islamic Community’s response to these issues.

Flying Flags at Weddings in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Nationalism and the Limits of Flag Power

AbstractThis study examines the practice of ethnic communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina flying a state, entity, religious, or foreign flag at wedding ceremonies in public spaces. The wedding custom is analyzed through the lens of Hannah Arendt’s discussion of the way nationalism in the modern era links family and state. After a tragic war, flag power in this context appears to exacerbate nationalism and ethnic tensions in a polyethnic society trapped in a dysfunctional state structure created by the Dayton Accords. The empirical study finds that flag power does not, in fact, privilege ethnic solidarity over national solidarity to the degree that social and political theory would have us imagine. The national identity of being Bosnian is more likely to be exemplified. A clustered, stratified, random sample of 2,500 subjects over the age of eighteen was drawn from the country’s population, including the two entities, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska and Brčko District. Survey questions involving face-to-face structured questions asked participants whether flags were flown at their weddings, which flags were flown, and attitudes toward the wedding custom. Variations by age, religiosity, education, ethnicity, type of flag flown, and political party affiliation are reported and interpreted.

The Dead, the War, and Ethnic Identity: Ghost Narratives in Post-War Srebrenica

Based on field research, this article studies the role of ghost narratives about the dead killed in the genocide of the Bosniak people in Srebrenica. It focuses on three clusters of belief narratives spread among the Bosniaks: narratives about ghosts of the unburied dead; narratives about the dead buried in the cemetery for the victims of the massacre; and narratives about a murdered imam appearing at the site of a demolished mosque, calling the faithful to prayer. The article argues that these stories are the effects of the persistent denial of the genocide by the Serbian population and of a strong sense among Bosniaks that justice has not yet been properly restored nor the perpetrators adequately punished. Ghost narratives play a significant role in the war discourse: through them, the Bosniak inhabitants of the Srebrenica region, lacking social and political power in the Serb-dominated territory, are able to articulate and maintain their memory of the massacre, reclaim the space, acquire some sense of control over the situation, and thus, ultimately, acquire some empowerment. Moreover, ghost legends occasionally prove vehicles for the transmission of ideological messages in the post-war identity processes of the Bosniak ethnic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Stochastic Frontier Approach to Measuring Inefficiency of Local Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

AbstractThe significance and methods of measuring inefficiency of local communities has been gaining prominence in the last decade. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the level of technical inefficiency in the sample of local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for the year of 2017. We implement parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to conduct an input-oriented stochastic parametric approach to measuring technical inefficiency of local communities in BiH. The results of our work are complementary to previous research indicating relative technical inefficiency of local communities in BiH. On average, BiH local communities’ total expenditures can be reduced by 46.8 percent without reducing output levels to achieve the result of the local community on the best practice frontier. Since our analysis and selection of variables are driven by data availability, the future research plans to include more variables.

Prilog istraživanju položaja i aktivnosti radničkog pokreta u Bosni i Hercegovini od završetka Prvog svjetskog rata do početka Husinske bune

Based on archival material and relevant literature, this text analyses and presents the activities of the labour movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first years after the end of the First World War. During this period, the struggle for workers'rights, mostly through strike actions, resulted, among other things, in an increase in wages, the introduction of eight-hour working days in most companies, the exercise of the right to elect workers' commissioners and trade unions. The workers managed to get other benefits related to the economic position of the workers, such as retail co-operatives, apartments, assistance in purchasing work suits, etc. Workers' representatives fought for a radically better position and a new place in society. In addition to eight-hour working days, higher wages and other demands to improve the material position of workers, strikes against the political disenfranchisement of workers were conducted during this period, as well as for political freedoms and democratisation of political life in the country. During 1919 and 1920, several strikes about pay were organised by miners, construction workers and metalworkers in the forest industry, catering workers and employees in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bijeljina, Brčko, Zenica, Breza, Mostar, Zavidovići, Dobrljin, Lješljani, Maslovarama and Rogatica. It was part of over 125 strikes by workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the period of legal activity of the Socialist Labour Party of Yugoslavia (SLPY) (c), i.e. the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) and its close trade unions. At the initiative of the SLPY (c) and united syndicates, public political assemblies were organised in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar, Brčko, Derventa, Vareš and Drvar, at which demands were put forward to dissolve the authorities, and organise democratic elections for the Constituent Assembly and demobilise the army. The aggravation of the political situation in the first post-war years was noticeable in many local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a number of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were physical confrontations between workers and security bodies of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. One such example occurred, in Zenica in mid-October 1920, when police banned the Communists' attempt to hold an assembly despite a previously imposed ban. On that occasion, the gathered mass of 2,500 workers refused to disperse and demanded that the assembly be held. After the police and the gendarmerie tried to disperse the gathered workers, there was open conflict. Workers threw stones at security officials, and they responded by firing firearms. The rally was eventually broken up, one worker was wounded and twelve workers were hurt during a clash with police. Owing to the increasing engagement of workers' representatives, the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina worsened. It was not uncommon to have open conflicts between workers and government officials. After the collapse of the Husino uprising, the position of workers deteriorated. Also, this paper discusses the impact of the revolutions in Eastern and Central Europe on the labour movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina.