Original scientific paper
Life and work of Vjekoslav Maks Luburić until the proclamation of the Independent State of Croatia
Gordan Karlić
; Zagreb, Croatia
Višeslav Aralica
orcid.org/0000-0002-7794-4777
; Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
In this paper, the authors endeavour to present the life and work of Vjekoslav Luburić called Maks from his birth until the proclamation of the Independent State of Croatia. In the introduction, the reader is referred to the existing research in historiography, which has so far been scarce. In the chapter discussing his childhood, youth and escape from Yugoslavia, his family and origin are presented. The issue of his father’s murder is analysed in more detail: Vjekoslav Luburić claimed in his memories published in the 1960s that the only motive for his father’s murder was Serbian chauvinism toward the Croats. The paper continues with tackling his education and the break thereof due to the fact that he was expelled from the secondary school in Mostar. After this event, according to his own claims, Luburić endeavoured to emigrate in order to join the Ustaše, who were at that time organised by Ante Pavelić. Luburić’s plan was most probably realised in the spring of 1933, when he entered Hungary from Baranja and joined the Ustaše in the Janka Puszta camp. His activity in this camp and in other Ustaše centres in Hungary is discussed in the chapter dealing with the time he spent in Janka Puszta. In hismemories published after the end of World War Two, Luburić spoke of his high functions in Janka Puszta; the authors have however concluded that in this period, he was a person of no major importance in this camp, same as he was merely a minor member of the Ustaša organisation in Hungary. This explains the fact that afterthe disbandment of the camp, and not long after the Ustaša organisation began to cease to exist in the territory of Hungary, Luburić did not leave for Italy as many of his comrades did, but stayed in Hungary. This is discussed in the chapter dealing with the period from the disbandment of Janka Puszta until 10 April 1941. Though he continued to keep contact with key members of the Ustaša organisation who lived in Budapest (Mladen Lorković, Andrija Artuković, Tomislav Sertić), it may nevertheless be concluded that Luburić was merely a minor person in the Ustaša organisation in that period. Exactly as such, he returned to his homeland during the attack of the Axis powers on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the proclamation of the Independent State of Croatia in mid April 1941. In the concluding chapter, discussing Luburić’s relation to historical science, the authors endeavour to present the methodological problems they came across while studying this period inLuburić’s life, as well as to briefly explain why these problems are present and offer a way to solve them.
Keywords
Vjekoslav Maks Luburić; Ustaša movement; emigration
Hrčak ID:
170600
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2016.
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