HISTORY

Converted to Roman Catholicism in the 7th century, the Croats established an independent kingdom during the 10th century, while the Serbs opted for the Eastern Orthodoxy of the Byzantine Empire, culminating in the Great Schism of 1054. In 1089, so-called Inner Croatia came under the control of Hungary and then the Habsburg Empire, and remained so for eight centuries, while the larger part of Dalmatia was variously controlled by the Byzantines, Venice and Austria. In 1529, following the defeat of the Hungarians by the Ottoman Turks, the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires divided Hungary’s territories, thereby creating a militarised border in Croatia between the Islamic and Christian worlds, running roughly along the present border between Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Serbs settled in areas of Croatia known as Krajina (border lands), the source of much Croat-Serb conflict thereafter.

By 1699, when the Ottoman Empire began its long decline, most of modern Croatia was under Habsburg control, except for the Venetian territories of Dalmatia, Istria and Dubrovnik, which finally came to Vienna in 1815, after a brief period of French control under Napoleon. In 1868, Croatia came under strong Hungarian influence; however, after the destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, a new ‘Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes’ was created in 1918, later renamed ‘Yugoslavia’ in 1929.

During the inter-war period, however, a highly unitary Serb-dominated state was created, worsening Croat-Serb conflict, which was exploited by the Nazis, after the Axis dismemberment of Yugoslavia in 1941. A so-called ‘Independent State of Croatia’ was established in Zagreb, which included the whole of nearby Bosnia & Herzegovina, and was ruled by the indigenous fascist Ustasa movement. This state adopted a tripartite policy of genocide, forcible conversion to Catholicism and deportation against the Serbs under its control. The particular brutality of this regime has, in the eyes of many, tainted Croat nationalism ever since.

Following the Communist takeover of 1945, Croatia became a constituent republic of the new Yugoslav federation led by Josip Broz Tito who, although himself an ethnic Croat, opposed any expression of Croatian nationalism. Thus, in 1971, a mass movement (Maspok) that favored just such a nationalist revival in Croatia – and was supported by the League of Communists in Croatia – was crushed by Tito, with the aid of the federal Yugoslav National Army (JNA). However, Croatian nationalism grew once again, following Tito’s death in 1980 and the decline of the Yugoslav regime under the unwieldy collective presidency.

The disintegration of Yugoslavia began in 1990, after multi-party elections in Slovenia and Croatia. In Croatia, the nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (Hrvatska Demokratska Zajednica, HDZ), led by Franjo Tudjman, won almost two-thirds of the Croat assembly seats and immediately moved towards full independence. In January 1991, the Yugoslav federal army entered Croatia in force, in support of the minority Serb community that sought autonomy within Croatia. The fighting in Croatia, between the JNA and Serb militia on one side and hastily assembled Croat defense forces on the other, was ended by a UN-brokered ceasefire in January 1992. By this time, 30 per cent of Croatian territory had been lost to Serb control. Yet Croatia made important gains as a nation; both recognition by the European Union and admission to the United Nations were achieved in 1992. In August the same year, presidential and legislative elections returned Tudjman and the HDZ with substantial majorities. Tudjman was now able to pursue his immediate objectives: recovering Croatian territory; and improving the Croat position in Bosnia.

By 1995, with discreet external support and an alliance of convenience with the Bosnian Muslims, the Croats were ready to take on the Serbs. Within days, their surprise military action forced the Serbs into seeking a political settlement. This duly emerged in the Dayton Accord of November 1995, of which Croatia was a clear beneficiary. The military victory bolstered the position of Tudjman and the HDZ, who were re-elected in a series of polls between 1995 and 1997. However, Tudjman’s increasingly authoritarian and nationalistic style of government was alienating a significant constituency both inside and outside the country. Moreover, his dismissive attitude towards the International War Crimes Tribunal investigating the Bosnian civil war was undermining Croatia’s key ambition of joining the European Union.

Tudjman’s death in December 1999 ushered in a new era of Croatian politics. The following month, the HDZ was ousted from control of the Sabor, by a five-party center-left alliance led by the Social Democratic Party. Then, in February 2000, the presidential election was won by Stipe Mesic, representing the HNS, a member of the governing coalition. Along with a new Prime Minister, social democrat Ivica Racan, Croatia has since adopted a more conciliatory, less strident approach both at home and abroad. Treating with the Hague tribunal remains a delicate issue: even limited cooperation has sparked ministerial resignations. The military officers concerned are considered war heroes at home and the issue always has the potential to destabilize the coalition government. Nonetheless, the broad approach of the Mesic/Racan government has paid dividends, including membership of the World Trade Organization and membership of post-NATO security organization ‘Partnership for Peace’. Croatia also has a berth on the fast track to EU membership. A formal application was submitted and accepted in February 2003. Croatia may therefore be able to join with the batch of candidate countries scheduled for entry around 2007/8, which includes Bulgaria and Romania: Croatia’s economy is in better condition than either of those, but the Hague tribunal problem has to be resolved once and for all. Within the Balkans, steady progress has been made in improving relations with both Bosnia and Serbia & Montenegro.