Professional paper
Croatian Spring - The Beginnings of Political Pluralism: An Approach
Ivica Šušak
; secretary of the Croatian Institute for History, Zagreb
Abstract
The author analyses politicai relations in thè former Yugoslavia at thè end of thè 1960s, with special attention to Croatia. The most important demands of Croatian politicai leadership at thè end of 1960s actually represented an attemp to reform thè state organisation and thè entire economie System of thè former Yugoslavia. Therefore, thè author analyses Croatian position in thè former Yugoslavia as well as relations and politicai fights of the factions within Croatian political leadership. The appearance of politicai pluralism in thè activities of politicai
eûtes in Croatia are analysed through thè conduct of policies that advocated a higher degree ofindependence for Croatia and generated significant strengthening of national awareness. The author analyses the relations ofCroatian politicai leadership and Tito, president of the former Yugoslavia. The demands for state reform, décentralisation, anti-unitarian policy of »clear relations«, and evident national awareness created the conditions and framework for politicai pluralism. Pluralism was evident in the activities ofthree basic leaders ofCroatian Spring - Croatian Communist Party, Matica hrvatska (Central Croatian Cultural and Publishing Society), and Croatian academia. Although Croatian politicai leadership was removed from office in 1971, three
years later, a new Yugoslav Constitution was adopted. It normatively defined all key demands of the former Croatian leadership.
Finally, the author gives his opinion ofCroatian Spring as a pluralist movement because of the opposed views ofits leaders; as a démocratie movement because of different approaches of its leaders and demands for abolishing the Communist party monopoly; and as an unprecedented movement because of its unprecedented
demand for higher degree of independence for Croatia within the then
Yugoslavia. The movement Croatian Spring created the basis for raising démocratie issued and introducing multiparty System in Croatia.
Keywords
political reforms; Croatia; constitutional changes; political pluralist
Hrčak ID:
135557
URI
Publication date:
9.9.2008.
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