When Čačak and Užice rise up, when western Serbia revolts

The police have been dispersing protesters from the streets for more than a week civil disobedience express revolt according to the current socio-political situation, and above all, the brutality shown by the police at the protest in Belgrade on June 28th.

The police continue to make arrests, and the citizens continue to block them, day after day.

The weekend behind us was marked by a series of gatherings across the country, and the hottest atmosphere was in Čačak and Užice.

In the city on Djetinja, strong police forces were seen on Sunday, and according to reports from social networks, police from other cities also went there.

Has western Serbia stood up and decided to show determination? If so, it could be one of a series of events in which great historical changes emanated from that part of the country.

The first Serbian uprising

The first uprising of the Serbs against the Ottoman Empire started from central-western Serbia, more precisely from Orašac, near Arandjelovac.

The insurgents gathered on February 15, 1804, to launch an armed uprising against the Ottoman government, and Karađorđe Petrović was chosen as the leader of the uprising. The reason for the uprising was the Cutting of the Knezova, which was carried out by the Janissaries in the Belgrade pashaluka.

The uprising lasted nine years, it was finally suppressed, but it had great significance for the history of Serbia. Although it did not immediately lead to full independence, it brought about important political, social and cultural changes.

The uprising marked the end of passive acceptance of Ottoman rule and the beginning of organized resistance, with the aim of creating a free and independent Serbian state.

During the uprising, the people's government was established: the council (Assembly), the administration, the courts and the army. Karađorđe Petrović was the leader and military commander, but all the key decisions were made by the people's representatives.

In the liberated regions, feudal levies were abolished, the Turkish spachies were expelled, and the peasants began to work the land for the first time without the obligation to pay levies to the Turks.

The uprising awakened national consciousness and the need for cultural and educational progress. In that period, the development of modern Serbian literature, education and the press began.

Although the uprising was suppressed in 1813, it laid the foundations for the Second Serbian Uprising (1815) and later the autonomy and then the independence of Serbia. The uprising is considered the beginning of modern Serbian statehood.

The day when the uprising took place is celebrated today as the Day of Serbian Statehood.

Siege of Užice in 1807.

An important event in the period of the First Serbian Uprising took place in 1807.

The siege of Užice in 1807 was one of the most significant victories of the Serbian insurgents against the Turks in the First Serbian Uprising.

The battle meant the complete Serbian capture of the second most important fortification in Belgrade Pashaluk. The leader of the Serbian forces in the siege of Užice was Miloš Obrenović, and the goal was to liberate Užice, one of the last Turkish strongholds in western Serbia.

In the spring of 1807, Karađorđe decided to seize the Užice fortress, so in April of that year he came to the aid of the Užice insurgents with about 8.000 fighters. In the three-month fighting, more than 500 insurgents died, Miloš Obrenović was wounded, but the victory was still achieved. More than 300 Turks were killed and 500 houses burned down from the cannons and constant attacks. Exhausted by hunger, the Turks from the fortress surrendered on July 20, and the Serbs then escorted them across the Drina to Bosnia.

Thus, Užice, then the most important town in the Belgrade Pashaluk after Belgrade, became the main insurgent base for further offensive actions of the Serbian army towards Stari Vlach and Bosnia and a center for training Serbian soldiers. For years, the insurgents held the Užice fortress in their hands, but in 1813, when the First Serbian Uprising failed, the Turks entered it without a fight.

Second Serbian Uprising

Čačak and its surroundings played a key role in the second uprising of the Serbs against the Turks.

The second Serbian uprising took place in Takovo on April 23, 1815, and Čačak and its surroundings (Rudnički, Dragačevski, Užički kraj) were among the first to respond to Miloš Obrenović's call for an uprising. Many insurgents from around Čačak, especially from villages in the West Morava valley, joined Miloš's troops.

The most important battle of the Second Serbian Uprising took place on the hill Ljubić, above Čačak, in May 1815. After a tough fight, the Serbian forces led by Miloš Obrenović, Jovan Dobrnjec Milić Drničić, won the victory, inflicted heavy losses on the Turks, and liberated Čačak.

After the Battle of Ljubić, Čačak was liberated and became one of the first liberated places in the Second Uprising, which had enormous moral and strategic importance, and Čačak became an important point in the formation of the autonomous Principality of Serbia.

1941. Republic of Užice

Užice played an important role in the Second World War, when in 1941 it became the first free territory, which was liberated and organized by partisan units under the leadership of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.

The Republic of Užice lasted from the liberation of Užice on September 24, 1941, and its end was marked by the heroic battle of the Workers' Battalion on November 29, 1941.

During its existence, its borders were constantly shifting due to constant fighting. In the period of greatest momentum, it approximately occupied an area of ​​about 19.000 square kilometers, which represents about a third of the total area of ​​Serbia proper. It was bordered in the south by the river Uvac, in the west by the Drina, in the east by the line Belgrade-Lajkovac-Aranđelovac-Knić-Kraljevo-Raška, while in the north the border was constantly changing.

On the liberated territory of the Republic of Užice, an organized people's government is created and a very intense and diverse political and cultural life develops. The building in which the National Bank was located before the war (now the building of the National Museum of Užice) became the seat of the highest military and political leadership - the Supreme Headquarters of the NOPOJ, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the KPJ and the Central Committee of the SKOJ.

Excavators from Čačak

The October 5th changes are an important political event in recent Serbian history.

One of the leading roles in these demonstrations was taken by Čačani. Thousands of citizens started from the crossroads in Preljina, and in a long line were buses, cars, and excavators that arrived in front of the Assembly in Belgrade.

The excavator that arrived in front of the Parliament was brought by Ljubisav Đokić - Joe Excavator and thus became one of the symbols of these demonstrations. Until the mid-90s, he had his own gravel pit, which, he claimed, was taken from him by "corrupt politicians in order to build cottages on Makish".