Review on the Book: “Ilija Garašanin (1812–1874) – the Great Son of Serbian Land”[Rev.] Ilija Garašanin (1812–1874) – the Great Son of Serbian Land / ed. by S. Raić. Arandjelovac: National Museum in Arandjelovac, 2024. 604 p. ISBN 978-86-88927-26-0

Abstract

This work is a review of the monograph “Ilija Garašanin (1812–1874) – the great son of Serbian land” written by six professors from the Department of history of the Serbian people in the Modern period at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade. The book coincides with the 150th anniversary of Garašanin’s death and it was published by the National museum of Aranđelovac. The monograph is the most comprehensive biography of one of the most important Serbian statesmen. Each of the six authors contributed to the description of Garašanin’s public and political career, his domestic and foreign policies, as well as his private life and family heritage. The biography not only summarizes previous scholarly knowledge but also introduces a significant number of new archival materials of Serbian and foreign origin that were not previously utilized, supporting a well-rounded portrait of Ilija Garašanin and his public activities. Ilija Garašanin is considered one of the greatest modern Serbian statesman, alongside Jovan Ristić and Nikola Pašić. Throughout his long political career, during which he served as Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Internal Affairs, he consistently prioritized Serbian national interests. He was the creator of the most important Serbian national program, known as “Načertanije,” in 1844. He resigned from the position of Prime Minister in 1867, and spent the last years of his life on his estate in Grocka, in debt, which indicates that politics was not a source of income for him, but rather an opportunity to use his abilities as a statesman for the common good.

Received 23 September 2024

Revised 15 October 2024

Accepted 10 November 2024

For citation: Radović, D., 2024. Review on the Book: “Ilija Garašanin (1812–1874) – the Great Son of Serbian Land”. [Rev.] Ilija Garašanin (1812–1874) – the Great Son of Serbian Land / ed. by S. Raić. Arandjelovac: National Museum in Arandjelovac, 2024. 604 p. ISBN 978-86-88927-26-0. Slavic World in the Third Millennium, 19 (3–4), pp. 245–251. https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2024.19.3-4.13