Britannica Sources used in this answer

What happened to Bosnia and Herzegovina after World War I ended?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Following the conclusion of World War I, Bosnia and Herzegovina underwent a significant political transition. Having been under Austro-Hungarian military rule throughout the conflict, Bosnian politicians from the three main ethnic communities joined leaders from Croatia and Slovenia in rejecting Habsburg authority.1

This movement led to the creation of a new South Slav state, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was formally established on December 1, 1918. This new kingdom incorporated Bosnia and Herzegovina alongside other territories formerly subject to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, such as Dalmatia, Croatia-Slavonia, and Slovenia, as well as the previously independent kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro.12

When the kingdom's constitution was finalized in 1921, Bosnia and Herzegovina lost its formal status as a distinct entity, though its geographical outline was initially preserved through provincial divisions.3