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The History of Croatia

The modern Republic of Croatia has had a very long and exciting history. Due to their militarily strategic coastal location, and also because of their shared borders with former great powers, Croatia has always found itself at the center of focus. True independence of Croatia only occurred with the creation of the Declaration of Independence on June 25th, 1991, which was the final result of the Croatian War. Since July 1st, 2013 Croatia has been a member state of the European Union.

The Early History of Croatia

The Early History of Croatia

Croatia has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. An example of this is the internationally known archaeological site located near the town of Krapina. Here the remains of more than 20 Neanderthals were discovered in 1895. It was a scientific sensation as the remains were dated as being 130,000 years old. Since 2010, the Krapina which lies about 45 kilometers from Zagreb, is home to the Neanderthal Museum. Further Neanderthal remains have been made, among other places, in the Vindija Cave. Much later - from about fourth to sixth century B.C. - Greek Illyrians and Celts settled the Croatian Adriatic coast. Numerous Greek settlements were established and began to operate brisk trade with other Mediterranean countries. Significant Greek settlements include Pharos (now Stari Grad on the island of Hvar) and Issa (today Vis on the same island). Finally, in 168 B.C. the region came under the rule of the hungry Roman Empire. Soon afterwards, Illyria and in affect, the Croatians came to be a Roman province. The dalmatian, Illyer, Diokletian evan managed to sit upon the Roman throne. Today, there are numerous Roman archaeological remains in Croatia just waiting to be discovered. On the peninsula of Vizula by Medulin you can stumble across the remains of a rustic Roman villa, and in Split and Pula you can be impressed by the still-standing magnificent Roman buildings. It is no wonder that these places are visited as often as the archaeological sites. Diocletian's Palace in Split is one of the most important Roman remains in Croatia, along with the amphitheater in Pula. The amphitheater has a capacity for up to 26,000 spectators making it the the sixth- largest known arena .

The slavic colonization

The slavic colonization

The Roman Empire, however, was doomed to fall. After numerous power changes and bloody civil wars, the western Roman empire and the Byzantine empire divided Croatia up in 395 before Christ. At this time, Westrom, Dalmatia and Istria were added to the Byzantine Empire. As part of the Great Migration, numerous peoples settled on the Croatian territory and staring fom the year 489, Croatia was considered to belong to the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths . The Ostrogothic kingdom , however, was not meant to last forever and it ceased to exist in the year 553. Following the demise of this kingdom Croatia then became a part of the Byzantine Empire in 1270. It was not until the 7th century AD that Slavic tribes from Galicia settled in the provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia . The origin of identifying oneself as a "Croat", however, is not completely clear. Most researchers assume that the name is not of ancient Slavic orgin, but rather of Iranian etymology, which can be traced back to the Scythians and was merely taken over by the newly settled Slavs. Also in the 7th century, there followed the Christianization of the Croatian population. This is reflected in the people who mostly are of Catholic faith today. From 806 Pannonia and Dalmatia were partly included in the Frankish Kingdom under Charlemagne. Subsequently, around that time in the 8th Century, the first Croatian principalities became occupied.

The Kingdom of Croatia and the Union with Hungary

The Kingdom of Croatia and the Union with Hungary

At the beginning of the 9th Century there were still two principalities in the Croatian area. The first was the “white” Croatia ruled by prince Borna on the coast and the second was the Pannonian north Croatia under the rule of prince Ljudevit. Finally, it seemed as if prince Branimir had brought all of the principalities together under the Kingdom of Croatia. This was indicated through the title given to the area, “regnum croatorum” in the year 879 by Pope John VIII. Under the rule of Branimir, the Croats were independent from both the Byzantines and the Franks. The first king of Croatia took the throne in 924- King Tomislav.  His Croatian Kingdom initially consisted of central Croatia , Slavonia and Dalmatia and parts of Bosnia. Later through an alliance with Byzantium, the Adriatic islands and the towns of Split , Trogir and Zadar were added. Tomislav successfully defended his kingdom against reoccurring storm-attacks by the Hungarians. In the year 1000, Croatia eventually fell during the rule of a king, impotent and weak due to the constant attacks from big powers such as Venice and Hungary. Zadar, Trogir and Split were now ruled by Venice. Because the ruler of Croatia died childless, Hungary had claims to the territory through the marriage of this Croatian leader with a Hungarian woman. The “Pacta Conventa” sealed a personal union with Hungary, but at the same time recognized that the Croatian Kingdom was a union spanning from the Drava to the Adriatic Sea. Croatia was then managed by a Croatian representative, Ben, of the Hungarian king. The union with Hungary continued into 1526 with it ups and downs, interruptions and different forms until 1918. Croatia during the Turkish wars in the 16th, 17th and early 18th Century was seen as the “bulwark of Christianity” against the spread of the Ottoman Empire. For centuries, the country was repeatedly exposed to attacks from Muslim rulers. Parts of Croatian region belonged to the Ottoman territory up until the 18th

At the beginning of the 9th Century there were still two principalities in the Croatian area. The first was the “white” Croatia ruled by prince Borna on the coast and the second was the Pannonian north Croatia under the rule of prince Ljudevit. Finally, it seemed as if prince Branimir had brought all of the principalities together under the Kingdom of Croatia. This was indicated through the title given to the area, “regnum croatorum” in the year 879 by Pope John VIII. Under the rule of Branimir, the Croats were independent from both the Byzantines and the Franks. The first king of Croatia took the throne in 924- King Tomislav.  His Croatian Kingdom initially consisted of central Croatia , Slavonia and Dalmatia and parts of Bosnia. Later through an alliance with Byzantium, the Adriatic islands and the towns of Split , Trogir and Zadar were added. Tomislav successfully defended his kingdom against reoccurring storm-attacks by the Hungarians. In the year 1000, Croatia eventually fell during the rule of a king, impotent and weak due to the constant attacks from big powers such as Venice and Hungary. Zadar, Trogir and Split were now ruled by Venice. Because the ruler of Croatia died childless, Hungary had claims to the territory through the marriage of this Croatian leader with a Hungarian woman. The “Pacta Conventa” sealed a personal union with Hungary, but at the same time recognized that the Croatian Kingdom was a union spanning from the Drava to the Adriatic Sea. Croatia was then managed by a Croatian representative, Ben, of the Hungarian king. The union with Hungary continued into 1526 with it ups and downs, interruptions and different forms until 1918. Croatia during the Turkish wars in the 16th, 17th and early 18th Century was seen as the “bulwark of Christianity” against the spread of the Ottoman Empire. For centuries, the country was repeatedly exposed to attacks from Muslim rulers. Parts of Croatian region belonged to the Ottoman territory up until the 18th Century and some parts to Venice. The rest of the remaining Croatian regions found themselves again in 1527 belonging to a different power- the Austrian- Hungarian Empire. 

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Croatia from 1918 to 1991

Croatia from 1918 to 1991

Towards the end of World War I on July 20th, 1917, representatives from the governments of Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia wrote the Declaration of Corfu with the goal of creating one country from these three. After many struggles, the proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes finally pulled through on December 1, 1918 under the Serbian throne. This unified state, however, was not a success since the individual parties had difficulty making agreements. The Croatian Peasant Party, in particular, refused to adopt the monarchical form of government and demanded the proclamation of a republic. Additionally, the representatives were greatly influenced by Woodrow Wilson's proclamation for a country with self-determining peoples. The Croatian Peasant Party continued to appeal to to the Croatian people, especially when the provinces were abolished and the country came de facto into the hands of Serbia. The first Yugoslav Kingdom fell apart on April 6, 1941, when the Germans invaded during the second World War and the Yugoslav king had to flee and find exile in England. The fascist Ustasha movement under the leadership of Ante Pavelic collaborated with the Germans and on April 10, 1941 they declared an Independent State of Croatia.

This state was supported politically as well as militarily by German, particularly against the Yugoslav partisans following the Croat Josip Broz Tito. The guerrillas enjoyed broad support amongst the people. After the end of World War II, the Socialist Republic of Croatia became a constituent republic of the newly founded Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On November 29th, 1945, non other than the partisan leader, Tito, became the first prime minister of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Unlike in other socialist Eastern Bloc countries, Tito quickly broke away from Stalin in 1948 and by the 1960's reforms had already been carried, allowing for the country to be opened up to the West. An opening up to the West meant that

Towards the end of World War I on July 20th, 1917, representatives from the governments of Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia wrote the Declaration of Corfu with the goal of creating one country from these three. After many struggles, the proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes finally pulled through on December 1, 1918 under the Serbian throne. This unified state, however, was not a success since the individual parties had difficulty making agreements. The Croatian Peasant Party, in particular, refused to adopt the monarchical form of government and demanded the proclamation of a republic. Additionally, the representatives were greatly influenced by Woodrow Wilson's proclamation for a country with self-determining peoples. The Croatian Peasant Party continued to appeal to to the Croatian people, especially when the provinces were abolished and the country came de facto into the hands of Serbia. The first Yugoslav Kingdom fell apart on April 6, 1941, when the Germans invaded during the second World War and the Yugoslav king had to flee and find exile in England. The fascist Ustasha movement under the leadership of Ante Pavelic collaborated with the Germans and on April 10, 1941 they declared an Independent State of Croatia.

This state was supported politically as well as militarily by German, particularly against the Yugoslav partisans following the Croat Josip Broz Tito. The guerrillas enjoyed broad support amongst the people. After the end of World War II, the Socialist Republic of Croatia became a constituent republic of the newly founded Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On November 29th, 1945, non other than the partisan leader, Tito, became the first prime minister of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Unlike in other socialist Eastern Bloc countries, Tito quickly broke away from Stalin in 1948 and by the 1960's reforms had already been carried, allowing for the country to be opened up to the West. An opening up to the West meant that tourism on the Adriatic Sea then became the most important source of foreign exchange. In the 1980's, Yugoslavia suffered a deep economic and political crisis, which at the same time, strengthened the idea of nationalism in the consciousness of the Croats. The year 1990 saw the end of the socialist era and the beginning of the demand, especially from the Slovenes and Croats, for the reconstruction of Yugoslavia. 

 

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The Croatian War and Independence

The Croatian War and Independence

On June 25, 1991, the Croatia government finally declared their independence. In the wake of this declaration, the Croatian War of Independence broke out. The Yugoslavian People's Army, funded by the paramilitaries and the Croatian separatists fought against Croatian Independence, yielding to many bloody conflicts until 1995. The Federal Republic of Germany was first to recognize the independent states of Croatia and Slovenia in December 23, 1991 and the other states followed suit in 1992. The Croatian Army took claim for the militarily success and the political victory. Meanwhile, Croatia has recovered from the ill effects of the war and now has a very stable economy- thanks to flourishing tourism. Since July 1st, 2013, Croatia has been a member of the European Union.  

 

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