Original scientific paper

VLADAN DESNICA, AGAINST “GODLESS COMMUNISM”

Nikica Barić orcid.org/0000-0003-2118-0736 ; Croatian Institute of History, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The article presents new sources important for the biography of a famous writer Vladan Desnica (1905-1967). Some recent interpretations try to present Vladan Desnica as a supporter of a People’s Liberation Movement during World War II. Indeed during the last several months of war Desnica was employed at the Department for financial affairs of the Antifascist Council of the Peoples’ Liberation of Croatia. But numerous sources show that Desnica was in fact working with the Italian authorities in Italian annexed Dalmatia
from 1941 to 1943. After the capitulation of Italy in September 1943 Desnica was member of the anti-communist Royalist Chetnik movement in northern Dalmatia. This article includes a transcript of an article that Vladan Desnica wrote for Chetnik propaganda newspaper during summer of 1944, where he wrote that Chetniks in northern Dalmatia would continue their struggle against “Godless communism”. The fact that Desnica managed to switch sides and
join the Peoples’ Liberation movement during the final period of the war was possible, in my opinion, due to the fact that communists in Dalmatia needed stronger support among Serb population that to a large part remained loyal to Chetniks. That is why communist mobilised many distinguished Serb as the representatives in the bodies of the new United Peoples’ Liberation Front. Real power of these Serb representatives in fact did not exist, because the real power was in the hands of communists. Nevertheless communists could claim that authorities under their control represent various political options. One of the Serb representatives that entered United Peoples’ Liberation Front was Vladan Desnica’s uncle, Boško Desnica. Boško Desnica himself previously cooperated with Italians and Chetniks, but, as useful for communists, was included as member of the United Peoples’ Liberation Front. This also enabled Vladan Desnica to join the Antifascist Council of the Peoples’ Liberation of Croatia.

Keywords

Dalmatia; World War II; Independent State of Croatia; Kingdom of Italy; Royalist Chetnik movement; Partisan movement; Vladan Desnica; Boško Desnica

Hrčak ID:

171374

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/171374

Publication date:

23.12.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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