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The Axis occupation of Yugoslavia in 1941 allowed the Croatian radical right Ustaše party to come into power, forming the so-called "Independent State of Croatia", led by Ante Pavelic. The puppet regime enacted racial laws, formed eight concentration camps and started a campaign to exterminate Serbs, Jews and Roma.
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The anti-fascist partisan movement emerged early in 1941, under the command of the Communist party, led by Josip Broz Tito, as in other parts of Yugoslavia.
Croatia became part of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia in 1945, which was run by Tito's Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
The constitution of 1963 balanced the power in the country between the Croats and the Serbs. Trends after 1965, however, led to the Croatian Spring of 1970-71, when students in Zagreb organized demonstrations for greater civil liberties and greater Croatian autonomy. The regime stifled the public protest and incarcerated the leaders, but this led to the ratification of a new Constitution in 1974, giving more rights to the individual republics. |
In 1980, after Tito's death, political, ethnic and economic difficulties started to mount and the federal government began to crumble. The emergence of Slobodan Miloševic in Serbia and many other events provoked a very negative reaction in Croatia, followed by a rise in nationalism and active dissent.
In 1990, the first free elections were held. A nationalist movement called the Croatian Democratic Union won, led by Franjo Tudman. HDZ's intentions were to secure more independence for Croatia, contrary to the wishes of ethnic Serbs in the republic. This led to complete estrangement between the two nationalities and sectarian violence.
The Croatian government declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 but the Yugoslav People's Army tried to forcefully maintain the status quo. The civilian population fled the areas of armed conflict en masse: generally speaking, thousands of Croats moved away from the Bosnian and Serbian border, while thousands of Serbs moved towards it.
The border city of Vukovar underwent a three-month siege during which most of the city buildings were destroyed and a majority of the population was forced to flee. The city fell to the Serbian forces in late November 1991. Soon after, the foreign countries started recognizing Croatia's independence. By the end of January 1992, most of the world recognized the country.
Subsequent UN-sponsored ceasefires followed, and the warring parties mostly entrenched. Armed conflict in Croatia remained intermittent and mostly on a small scale until 1995. In early August, Croatia started Operation Storm and quickly took most of Krajina, causing a mass exodus of the Serbian population. A few months later, the war ended upon the negotiation of the Dayton Agreement.
President Tudman died in late 1999 and the country underwent many liberal reforms beginning in 2000. An economic recovery as well as healing of many war wounds ensued and the country proceeded to become a member of several important regional and international organizations. The country is currently in process of joining the European Union.
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