Yugoslavia - Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was established in 1929 when King Alexander I dissolved the parliament and changed the name of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to Yugoslavia. The royal dictatorship was intended to reduce internal ethnic tensions, but centralized power only exacerbated the conflicts. After the assassination of Alexander I in 1934, his son Peter II ascended the throne, but the country's political instability increased. During World War II, in 1941, the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia, thus ending the kingdom.

The coinage of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929-1941) was based on the Yugoslav dinar, which was already the official currency of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918-1929). The denominations of the coins in circulation were as follows: Nickel: 50 para, 1 dinar, Bronze: 2 para, 5 para, 10 para, 20 para, Silver: 10 dinar, 20 dinar, 50 dinar. The obverse of the coins usually featured the portrait of the king, Alexander I (1921-1934) or Peter II (1934-1945), and the reverse featured the state coat of arms or other symbols. The inscriptions were in both Cyrillic and Latin script, reflecting the multi-ethnicity of the country. The denominations of the banknotes ranged over a wider range: 5 dinars, 10 dinars, 20 dinars, 50 dinars, 100 dinars, 500 dinars, 1000 dinars. The banknotes also featured the image of the current ruler, as well as various historical and cultural motifs. The inscriptions were also in Cyrillic and Latin script. The coinage of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was basically based on the monetary system of the former Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The portraits of the rulers played a central role on the coins and banknotes. The parallel use of Cyrillic and Latin script on the money reflected the cultural diversity of the country. In the late 1930s and at the beginning of World War II, inflation also appeared, which led to a decrease in the value of the money. The German occupation and dismemberment of Yugoslavia in 1941 marked the end of the royal monetary system. New currencies were introduced in the occupied territories, and the Yugoslav dinar gradually disappeared from circulation.