Nikola Pašić summary

Nikola Pašić, (born Dec. 31, 1845, Zaječar, Serbia—died Dec. 10, 1926, Belgrade), Serbian and Yugoslav statesman. The editor of a socialist newspaper in Serbia, he was elected in 1878 to the legislature, where he opposed the authoritarian monarchy and advocated a parliamentary democracy. In 1881 he helped found the Radical Party, but he was forced to flee to Bulgaria in 1883. Returning to Serbia in 1889 under a new king, he served as premier (1891–92) and as ambassador to Russia (1893–94). Forced into exile again because of his political radicalism (1899–1903), he returned to support the Karadjordjević dynasty and King Peter I. As leader of the Radical Party, he served as premier of Serbia during most of the period (1904–18), then helped create the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). As premier (1921–26), he pushed for a unitary constitution that confirmed Serbia’s dominance despite opposition from the historically separate regions.