Greens (Montenegro)
The Greens () were a group of loyalists of King Nikola of Montenegro. They originated from the members of the True People's Party and were most notable for instigating the Christmas Uprising of 1919. The rebellion was staged in an attempt to prevent the dethroning of the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty and the subsequent integration of Montenegro into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The Greens were supporters of the House of Petrović-Njegoš, which once the house was dethroned after World War I, led the Greens to fight for the establishment of Montenegro as a province within the Yugoslav kingdom. Following their defeat in the Christmas Rebellion, the Greens continued on with their guerrilla warfare until 1929. The motto of the movement was "For the Right, Honour and Freedom of Montenegro". During World War II, the Greens were activated once again under the leadership of Krsto Popović in an attempt to re-establish the Kingdom of Montenegro as an Axis client state. Characteristics The Greens (Zelenaši) movement was originally founded in 1918 in Montenegro by the opponents of Montenegrin unification with the Kingdom of Serbia and integration into the newly established Kingdom of Yugoslavia, when they supported the House of Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro over the House of Karađorđević of Serbia. After the unsuccessful armed rebellion known as the Christmas Rebellion, the Greens continued guerrilla resistance until 1929, while their political activity was based on opposition to the mode and manner in which the south Slavic unification was implemented, resulting in the disappearance of Montenegro as a political entity. According to the Croatian-American academic Ivo Banac they declared themselves as Serbs. As a member of a joint American–British mission, the British diplomat Earl John de Salis wrote a detailed report. The Earl stated that no one denied that Montenegro might need to be unified with Serbia and the budding Yugoslav state. However, the issue was “to be able to join it as Montenegro, and not as a prefecture of Serbia, as free Montenegrins, in line with the tradition and the past of their country, and not as yes-men of Belgrade, to join it on equal footing as the Slovenes, the Croats and the very Serbs.”, i.e. on conditions of equality and preservation of identity of Montenegro. The Greens drew their membership from the Highland tribes (Moračani, Piperi, and Rovci), the Katun clans (Bjelice, Cetinje, Čevo, and Cuce), and the Herzegovinian tribes (Nikšići, Rudinjani and Drobnjaci). Notable leaders of the Greens included Krsto Zrnov Popović, Jovan S. Plamenac and Novica Radović. Some of the Greens re-gathered during World War II, under the command of Krsto Zrnov Popović, a collaborator of fascist Italy. They were organized into a military unit called the Lovćen Brigade featuring four brigades that participated in the chaotic civil war raging on the ground in Montenegro and whose military activity was mostly directed against the communist Partisans. After their military defeat, most of the surviving Greens members joined the Partisans, with some joining the Ustaše and a minority joining the Chetniks. Other members of