Coping with Post-Imperial Fluidity. Refugees from Fiume between Different State Authorities (1919-1921)

This article explores the episode that saw a number of pro-Yugoslav individuals escaping Fiume during D’Annunzio’s rule and seeking refuge in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The attitude of the neighbouring state towards these refugees changed in conjunction with the development of bilateral relations with Italy. While the refugees were initially welcomed as living evidence of the violence of Italian occupation, they soon became an obstacle on the way to an appeasement between the two countries and were increasingly neglected. The article follows the negotiations between different stakeholders – on the state, regional and local levels – linked to the management of refugee relief and resettlement. Furthermore, it looks at refugees’ strategies to attract the attention of the host country’s authorities by drawing on refugee petitions and letters. Finally, it describes some refugees’ attempts to return to Fiume after D’Annunzio’s withdrawal and analyses the narratives that refugees deployed in the appeals submitted to the Fiumian authorities to have their expulsion orders revoked.