Registrations and Approvals of Society Statutes in Dalmatia during the Second Austrian Administration

Abstract

During the Second Austrian Administration in Dalmatia, a large number of societies were active. In order to operate legally, societies were required to obtain approval from the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna as well as from the Viceregency in Zadar. This study examines the procedure for registering a society, with a focus on the state laws governing societies. Using examples of sporting, cultural, civic, joint-stock, charitable, and religious societies, it seeks to present the issues related to obtaining official approval. For the societies mentioned, details are given regarding their founders, the purpose of their establishment, and the articles of their statutes that the Viceregency considered inconsistent with the applicable laws. The text also presents examples of statutory modifications undertaken voluntarily by a society or in response to a previously issued “prohibition.” Changes brought about by the adoption of the 1867 Law on Societies are compared with those under the earlier 1852 Law. With the amendment of the law, regional authorities were granted greater powers in the process of registering societies. For example, under the 1867 Law on Societies, the Viceregency in Zadar even recognised and approved societies that had previously been exempt, such as certain types of joint-stock and religious societies. The text then presents some of the reasons these societies cited in order to obtain approval under the aforementioned law. Since societies were able to operate legally based solely on recognition, the study seeks to define the concept of a “prohibition” as well as that of formal approval. The work is largely based on documents from the archival fonds HR-DAZD-543 Vlada/Namjesništvo za Dalmaciju, Društva u Dalmaciji (En.: Government/Viceregency for Dalmatia, Societies in Dalmatia) (1833–1918). In selecting documents, attention was also paid to the national orientation of each society. The introduction provides a brief historical overview of the emergence of modern societies in Dalmatia, whose origins lie in religious and secular brotherhoods. In a broader context, the study seeks to illustrate the relationship of the Austrian authorities to the various types of civic societies, many of which were not favourable to the prevailing state and political order.