Croatian Modern History¹ (M)
Family_Line=U

     The Treaty of Campo Formio transfers Dalmatia from Venice to Austrian Habsburgs in October 1797.² The Treaty of Pressburg forced Austria to cede Dalmatia to France on 2 December 1805. This ocurred after a crushing defeat at Austerlitz.³ Napolean's France takes over the city-state of Dubrovnik and unites it with Dalmatia in 1808. French reforms included a law requiring all families to educate at least one of their children.⁴ Austria was defeated again by France after invading Dalmatia on 14 October 1809. The Treaty of Schonbrunn awarded France parts of Slovenia and a large part of Slavonia.⁵ Austria regained right to Dalmatia and Dubrovnik at the Congress of Vienna on 3 August 1815. The French had lost badly against Russia. The Austrians returned the Italian minority to power.⁶ The Habsburg Emperor and Empress visit Zagreb on 28 June 1818.⁷ Hungarians pass a law making Hungarian a compulsory subject in Croatian schools in 1827. This provoked an uproar in Croatia.⁸ National assembly in Zagreb demanded unification of Dalmatia and Slavonia on 25 March 1848. They also demanded exclusive use of Croatian in educational and governmental institutions and the appointment as 'ban' of Colonel Josip Jelačić (1801-1859) In the Austria-Hungary army Jelačić was bound up in the Krajina with the defence of the empire against its Turkish enemies.⁹ Jelačić took his oath as Ban to serve the Habsburg Emperor on 5 June 1848. Under Jelačić, the Sabor was reformed and Croatia headed for democracy and independence from Hungary and the return of Rijeka to Croatia from Hungary. The Hungarians resented this and demanded that the A-H Emperor assert Hungarian authority over Croatia.¹⁰ Ban Jelačić leads an army into Hungary to put down a revolt against the A-H empire in April 1849. Jelačić had hoped to improve Croatia's status with the Emperor by this action, but Croatia's status was not improved.¹¹ NikolaTesla was born to a Croatian Orthodox Priest of Serbian ethnicity on 10 July 1856 at Smiljan, Lika. He completed his studies in electrical engineering at the University of Prague in 1881. He emigrated to America in 1884 to work for Thomas Edison.¹² Ban Jelačić died, disappointed that he could do nothing for Croatia, on 20 May 1859. Immediately after his death the main square in Zagreb was renamed in his honor.¹³ Ante Starčević (1823-1895) imprisoned for demanding total Croatian independence from Austria and Hungary in 1863. Croatia here is meant to include Dalmatia, Slavonia, Krajina and northern Croatia.¹⁴ The Jelačić statue was finally erected in Zagreb before a very large crowd on 16 November 1866.¹³ The city of Rijeka and immediate area was reincorporated into Hungary by the A-H Emperor in 1867. The A-H Emperor also decreed that Dalmatia would remain in Austria while the rest of Croatia would be under the Hungarians.¹⁵ Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer established the 'Yugoslav Academy of Art and Science' in Zagreb in 1867.¹⁶ Andrija Marasović lived in Croatia until immigrating to America from 22 November 1873 to 1 June 1914.¹⁷ Charles Khuen-Hedervary was Ban of Croatia from 1883 to 1903. He was a devoted executor of Hungarian rule and played on the divisions between Serbs and Croats to increase Hungarian control. He did this by promoting Serbian interests.¹⁸ Blight destroyed vineyards throughout Europe circa 1895. There was also a new trade agreement with Italy that allowed Italy to flood the Empire with cheap wine, undercutting Dalmatian exports. The switch to iron and steel ships then ruined the Dalmatians' second principal industry. Also there were no decent transport links to either Bosnia or Croatia. Poverty in Dalmatia drove tens of thousands to emigrate to America.¹⁹ Jakov Radja lived in Croatia until his immigration to America from 23 September 1896 to 30 June 1921.¹⁷ Serbian King Aleksander and Queen Draga were assassinated by nationalist officers in 1903. They were slashed to death in their palace. Elderly, pro-Russian, Prince Petar was brought to the Serbian throne.²⁰ Andrija Marasović emigrates from Split to America in March 1907.²¹ Austria formally annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908. This raised the threat of war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia, backed by Russia. Catholics and most Croats were delighted by the move, seeing it as a step towards reunion of historic Croatian lands.²² Austria-Hungarian Empire Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Czech wife Sophie Chotek were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb on 28 June 1914 at Sarajevo.²³ The Austria-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. In Croatia, the nightmare scenario was defeat of the A-H and partition of Croatia between Italy and Serbia.²³ A Dalmatian trio of chairman Ante Trumbić, Frano Supilo and sculptor Ivan Meštrović formed the self-appointed 'Yugoslav Comittee' in November 1914 at Florence. Their intent was to lobby internationally for union with Serbia, having given up on getting favorable terms for Croatia from Austria-Hungary.²³ A congress of Serbs Croats and Slovenes convened to recognize the Yugoslav Committee as their representative body in 1915 at Chicago, Illinois. A Yugoslav National Council was established in Washington.²⁴ The Entente powers of Britain, Russia and France entered into the Treaty of London, offering Italy the lands of Slovenia, Istria and the northern half of Dalmatia in return for declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary on 26 April 1915. Italy agreed. At the same time Serbia was offered a stretch of southern Dalmatia, a large portion of eastern Slavonia.²³ Frano Supilo died prematurely in September 1916. Before his death, he resigned from the Yugoslav Committee in protest of its overly pro-Serbian activities.²⁵ The Russian Revolution occurred in 1917. This knocked Serbia's main ally and convinced the Serbians to abandon a Greater Serbia and go with the idea of a Jugoslav state with the Croats and Slovenes.²⁵ The Croatian Sabor declared independence from 800 years of Hungarian rule on 29 October 1918 at Zagreb.²⁶ Italian troops sieze Pula, Zadar and Rijeka in November 1918.²⁷ Prince Aleksandar of Serbia proclaims the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes with capital in Belgrade in December 1918. It appears many Croats supported this action for fear of the Italians and Hungarians.²⁸ The Treaty of Rapallo was signed between Yugoslavia and Italy in 1920. This treaty handed Istria (Pula peninsula) and Zadar to the Italians and Rijeka was to become an independent state under the League of Nations.²⁹ Croatians were angered by the imposition of a Serbian monarchy in 1920. Dreams of an independent Croatia were destroyed. Croat currency was devalued in favor of the Serbians. The Sabor was abolished and Croatia was broken up into departments governed by prefects appointed by the central government. Serbians manned the civil service, police and railways. Croatians universally considered themselves intelectually superior to the Serbs.³⁰ Jakov Rađa emigrates from Ogorje to America in June 1921.²¹ Croatian independence advocate Stjepan Radić was assassinated on 20 June 1928 at Jugoslav Parliment, Belgrade.³¹ King Aleksandar, using the threat of civil war, proclaimed a royal dictatorship on 6 January 1929 at Belgrade. He abolished political parties and the parliment. He renamed the country to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The country was reorganized into nine provincial 'banovinas'. Croat activists were harassed by police to an unprecedented degree.³² Ante Pavelić (1889-1957) set up the Ustashe Croatian Liberation Movement on 6 January 1929 at Zagreb. An ustanak is an uprising. The Movement aims were to liberate Croatia and establish an independent state.³³ Ante Pavelić is sentenced to death for publicly advocating the overthrow of the state in November 1929 at Courts, Belgrade. This increased his popularity in Croatia and Italy refuses to extredite him.³³ Ante Pavelić and Macedonians contrive to assassinate King Aleksandar in October 1934 at Marseilles. Mussolini shut down the Ustashe and imprisoned Pavelić until 1936.³⁴ Prince Paul and Princess Olga after a state visit attended a banquet given by Adolph Hitler in June 1939.³⁵ Prince Paul, Jugoslav Regent, approved a new Jugoslav organization on 23 August 1939 at Belgrade. This new arrangement restores Croatia autonomy from the Serbs and Bosnians. The post of ban is restored responsible to the Croatian Sabor. Foreign affairs, the army post and railways remained with Belgrade.³⁶ Outbreak of hostilities between Germany and Britain/France in September 1939. Rome and Berlin compete for influence over Jugoslavia while the British attempt to woo Jugoslavia to the Allied side.³⁷ Berlin prods Jugoslavia to join the Axis camp with Germany and Italy in 1940. Prince Paul continued to evade committment.³⁸ Prince Paul meets with Adolph Hitler and then signs a pact on 25 March 1941 at Berchtesgaden. Hitler promises to guarantee Yugoslavia's frontiers and German troops were not to be based in Yugoslavia orr to cross its borders.³⁸ A coup by Serbian generals overthrows Prince Paul and Jugoslavia declares for Britain and France on 27 March 1941 at Belgrade. King Petar is installed as ruler of Yugoslavia.³⁹ Germany declared war on Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941. The Luftwaffe bombed Belgrade. German armies streamed into Yugoslavia from Bulgaria and Hungary. Croatians welcomed the Germans. Anti-Serb mobs, furious at being drawn into a war against Germany were wrecking Serb shops and businesses.⁴⁰ As German tanks arrived the Ustashe declared the Idependent State of Croatia (NDH) with Ante Pavelić as leader on 10 April 1941 at Jelačić Square, Zagreb. The new state was to be a carbon copy of Nazi Germany. The sabors had no authority. The use of the Serbian Cyrllic alphabet was forbidden, marriages between Jews and Croatians was forbidden, Jewish goods were confiscated, Jews were required to wear yellow stars, non-Catholics were forced to join the Catholic Church. Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac quickly gave Pavelić his public blessing. The enormous majority of Croatians were delighted with the formation of the NDH freeing Croatia from Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia surrendered to Germany on 17 April 1941. The NDH embarked on a campaign of persecution of Jews gypsies and Serbs. Muslims were wooed.⁴¹ Pavelić signed up Croatia to the Tripartite Pact of Germany, Italy and Japan on 15 May 1941 at Venice. Pavelić then agreed on the Duke of Spoleto as King Tomislav II of Croatia although he never came to Croatia.⁴² The Rome Agreement was signed between Italy and the NDH on 18 May 1941 at Rome. Thsi gave Italy the port of Susak, the island of Krk and a stretch of northern Dalmatia from Zadar (which Italy already held) to Split. The fate of Split was on hold. Cratia was forbidden to build a navy. Mussolini was angered that the Germans did not allow him all of Croatia. The loss of Dalmatia was an enormous shock to the public.⁴³ An NDH minister declared that Croatia had no room for Serbs in June 1941. "The Ustashe will cleanse it of the Serbs who have endangered us for centuries." By the end of WWII about 300,000 Serbs were deported or fled to Serbia.⁴⁴ Sailor Peter Tomich earned the Congressional Medal of Honor on 7 December 1941 at USS Utah, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Nikola Tesla dies penniless on 7 January 1943 at New York, New York.⁴⁵ Over 80% of the Jewish population of Croatia and Bosnia had been killed in 1945. Many Jews were able to flee to the Italian zone of Dalmatia or fled to the forests where they joined the Communist rebels. Jasenovac is the most notorious camp for the detention and killing of Jews, Gypsies and Serbs. War dead estimates range from 60,000 to 1.7 million.⁴⁶ Chetnik leader Mihailović is executed in June 1946.⁴⁷ Archbishop Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960) was indicted, accused of supporting the Fascist regime of Anton Pavelić, in September 1946 at Zagreb. The Archbishop was sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment at Lepoglava.⁴⁷ Yugoslavia's Josip 'Tito' Broz has Jelačić statue taken down in 1947. The Zagreb square is renamed 'Republic Square'.⁴⁸ Jakov and Caroline Radja visited Croatia in 1972. Their visit include Split, Ogorje and Dubrovnik.²¹ President Josip Broz (Tito) died on 4 May 1980 at Ljubljana, Slovenia.⁴⁹ Jelačić statue restored in renamed Jelačić Square in Zagreb in 1990.⁴⁸ Dave and Dolores Frost with daughters Karen and Kathy visited relatives in May 1990. They visited Zagreb, Split, Ogorje and Dubrovnik.⁵⁰ The Slovene parliament and the Croatian Sabor both declared themselves independent of Jugoslavia on 25 June 1991. The Slovenes did things to proclaim their independence but the Croatians under President Tudjman continued to act as a part of Jugoslavia and refused to act against the Jugoslav army, considering such to be too dangerous. The Jugoslav army moved against the Slovenes.⁵¹ The Jugoslav army units in Slovenia were virtually abandoned in July 1991. The Serbs, under Slobodan Milošević, controlling the government were much more interested in Croatia and the Greater Serbia vision.⁵² The Croatian Sabor recognized the inevitable drift towards all-out war with the Serbian Juoslavia on 11 August 1991. A National Guard was created and mobilization of Croats into the Jugoslav army was outlawed. A new Croatian dinar currency was introduced to replace the Jugoslav dinar.⁵³ The Jugoslav army overran the fertile region of Baranja north of Osijek on 25 August 1991. The army moved in and handed the region over to the Serbian Autonomous Province of Slavonia where Serbs made up only 25% of the population. All of the Croat and Hungarian population was driven out.⁵⁴ The Jugoslav air force made ten air raids on the Zagreb area from 15 September 1991 to 20 September 1991.⁵⁵ President Tudjman finally gave up his policy of avoiding direct confrontation with the Jugoslav army and ordered the National Guard to surround the army bases on 3 October 1991. The Jugoslav army in retaliation attacked Dubrovnik and the navy blockaded all of the Adriatic ports south of Pula.⁵⁶ The Vatican publicly appealed for the recognition of Slovenia and Croatia on 4 October 1991.⁵⁷ Dubrovnik was surrounded and shelled by Montenegrin troops and electricity and water was cutoff in October 1991. By the end of October, 50,000 civilians eked out an increasingly precarious existence on diminishing supplies of water and food.⁵⁸ President Mesić (a Croat) of Jugoslavia goes on the ferry Slavija with a flotilla of smaller boats to Dubrovnik with supplies on 1 November 1991. The Jugoslav navy intercepted the convoy but ultimately let them pass into Dubrovnik.⁵⁹ The city of Vukovar in eastern Slavonia is surrendered to the Jugoslav army on 17 November 1991. President Tudjman's leadership is severely criticized. Milošević now feels that most of what Serbia wanted has been accomplished so he agrees to a European Community peace plan.⁶⁰ The United Nations Cyrus Vance invited Tudjman and Milošević to Geneva for a peace plan on 23 November 1991. The plan centered on creating UN Protected Areas (Unpas), Croatia lifts the blockade of the Jugoslav army bases, and Jugoslavia will withdraw its army from Croatia. The Unpas were to be demilitarized.⁶¹ The European Community accepts recognition of the independent states of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia in January 1992. The request from Bosnia was rejected. Only Germany immediately opened an embassy in Zagreb.⁶² The United States recognized the states of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia in April 1992.⁶³ Bosnian Croat Mate Boban proclaimed the Croat Union of Herceg-Bosna on 5 July 1992.⁶⁴ Croat troops overran the UN demarcation lines around Zadar on 22 January 1993. A major aim here was the Maslenica bridge linking Dalmatia with northern Croatia.⁶⁵ Croat army artillery destroyed Mostar's medieval bridge on 9 November 1993.⁶⁶ Pope John Paul II visits Croatia in October 1994. The Pope had strongly supported the diplomatic recognition of Croatia.⁶⁷ Bosnian Serbs under General Ratko Mladić overran Bosnian 'UN Safe Areas' Srebrenica and Žepa in July 1995. Between 4,000 and 8,000 civilians were slaughtered.⁶⁸ The Croatian army eliminates the Serb Republic of Krajina at Knin in August 1995. Almost 200,000 Croat refugees returned to the Krajina. Serb villages were burned and empty homes looted.⁶⁹ Jim and Caroline Radja visit Croatia in September 1996. The visit included Zagreb, Split, Ogorje, Trogir, Dubrovnik and Korcula.²¹ Jim and Caroline Radja visit Croatia with daughter Melinda and granddaughter Lauren in June 1998. The visit included Zagreb, Split, Ogorje, Trogir, Dubrovnik and Korcula.²¹ Jim and Caroline Radja visit Croatia with brother Thomas Radja and his wife Jeanne in September 2004. The visit included Zagreb, Split, Ogorje, Trogir, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Medjugorje, Mostar and Korcula.²¹

Last Edited=25 Jan 2008