Wold War I and II

In the new state (since 1920 it official name was STARA KANJIZA) due to its location and the ethnic composition of the town, the slow economic growth was stopped. The Yugoslav Agrarian-reform and settlement policy, according to ethnic interests, settled Slav population to the public pastures. People from the highlands of Lika were settled near Kanjiza and they created new villages: VELEBIT (in 1941 had 924 inhabitants) and VOJVODA ZIMONJIC ( in 1948 had 472 inhabitants) that were very closed communities. Without any experiece and means these people from the mountains, could accommodate only with great difficulties while at the same time, the local land-workers were not awarded land by the new agrarian reform.

During world war II, on the base of the Vienna Decision, Kanjiza was annexed to Hungary, the Slav settlers were interned and Bukovina Hungarians were settled (Velebit = Fogadjisten). Three years later though, they were interned by the returning south-Slav regime. The second Yugoslav (socialist) agrarian reform besides new settlers gave some land to the local farmers as well, in order to take the edge of the south Slav athrocities against Hungarians - in revenge of their 1941 slander- at the end of the war. The collectivisation of agriculture, the nationalisation of plants and factories, then the break-up with the Stalin regime, meant a series of shocks resulting that neither agriculture nor industry could step ahead from blind spot. On the other hand, the decay of farm-like agriculture rapidly progressed and new settlements-villages were formed along the Senta-Subotica railroad: OROM and DOLINE, later UJFALU near Orom, and between Kispiac and Martonos a new settlement: KISHOMOK.

Dobos János mgr.