Oldest roots of civil society in the territory of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The earliest roots of civil society in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina date back to the ancient times, i.e. from the time when these areas became part of the great Roman Empire. By winning this region and subjugating the indigenous (Illyrian) population, the Roman authorities faced a number of issues, the most important of which were related to the social status of each member of subjugated population, which was completely disenfranchised. Aware of this situation, the imperial government entered into the centuries-long process of transforming the existing social relations and establishing the new ones, whose main purpose was to grant citizenship (that is the same civil rights as the full Roman citizens had) to that part of indigenous peoples who accepted and supported the Roman authority. Thus, over time, many members of the Illyrian ethnos got the status of full-fledged Roman citizens, which, even then, resulted in the establishment of civil society.