Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31953/sz.45.1.5
THE PARTY OF RIGHTS IN GOSPIĆ FROM 1880’s TO 1914
Mislav Gabelica
Abstract
In the article the author deals with the development of the right’s organisation in Gospić
and analyses the social and ideological differences amongst its followers, which according to
his judgement caused permanent conflicts within this organisation. The author observed two
rights’ groups in Gospić in the period from 1895 to 1914: one which gathered together members
of Gospić’s higher social class and where high ranking merchants on the property ladder were
dominant, and the other, which in relation to the first group gathered together the lower social
class and where alongside merchants of a lower income the clergy of Gospić’s surroundings
participated to a greater extent. Although both groups are considered as having members of
the Party of Rights, the author notes the social differences amongst them as well as the great
ideological differences, which were particularly visible in the national section of the Party of
Rights agenda. The first, more affluent rights’ group, in which Marko Došen and Lovre Pavelić
and his sons stand out, placed the constitutional part of the rights’ agenda in first place, and
aspired to the realisation of Croatian state independence in collaboration with the Croatian
Orthodox population, recognising, in turn, the population of Serbian national character. The
second group, in which Ivan Bušljeta, Dragutin Smojver and the priest Stipe Vučetić stand
out, placed the national part of the Party of Rights’ agenda in first place, in accordance which
it negated the Serbian national character to the Croatian Orthodox population, and it avoided
any kind of contact with the political representatives of that population, due to which they were
forced to give it national concessions in Croatia. The conflict between these two groups in
Gospić culminated in 1908, when on a national level there came the split of Starčević’s Croatian
Party of Rights, within which both Gospić’s Party of Rights groups had operated to that time.
The author noted a calming of this conflict in the years leading up to the First World War and
considers whether amongst other things it happened because of the fact that in that time Pavelić-
Došen’s group also assessed that its policy of a Croatian-Serbian accord had failed.
Keywords
Gospić; Party of Rights; Frankovici (followers of Josip Frank): Milinovci (followers of Mile Starčević)
Hrčak ID:
214565
URI
Publication date:
27.12.2018.
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