Original scientific paper
STJEPAN RADIĆ AND THE CROATIAN PEOPLE'S PEASANT PARTY IN WORLD WAR I
Bogdan Krizman
Abstract
Stjepan Radić and the Croatian People’s Peasant Party (Hrvatska pučka seljačka stranka) which had been weakened after the elections for the Sabor held at the end of 1913 on the eve of World War I, formed a coalition with the Croatian Right's Party (Hrvatska stranka prava) and tried to carry the co-operation of the two parties into Bosnia. Radić remained true to the tactics of the "Holy Alliance" until, with the bullets of G. Princip in Sarajevo and the beginning of the war, a new period began in the political life of Croatia. Radić had already been expelled from the Sabor and was occupied with his elections in Ludbreg, so he himself did not take part in the stormy scenes in the Sabor provoked by the assassination in Sarajevo, but for quite a long time he supposed that Austria-Hungary could not lose the War. He tried — through the intermediary Dr. Vl. Sachs — to get the blessing of Austro-Hungarian diplomacy to go to Bulgaria in the name of the Croatian opposition, and to carry through anti-Turkish (and anti-Serbian) propaganda there. But the Croatian government would not give him permission. In 1915 he said in the Sabor that the Croatian nation was going to war only to make sure that its wishes and rights were recognized and taken into consideration in their entirety in Austria-Hungary, "that ancient, unvanquished and invincible monarchy". Later, the death of Franz Joseph and the succession to the throne of Karlo resulted in a new groupation among Croatian political parties, An opposition (državnopravna oporba) was formed, into which entered the Croatian People's Peasant Party, the Croatian Right's Party and Starčević's Right's Party (Starčevićeva stranka prava). A new Croatian government vas also formed: Skerlecz withdrew and A. pl. Mihalovich became the new Ban. He was the representative of the Croato-Serb Coalition (Hrvatsko-srpska koalicija) which, in that way, ceased to be only a "working party". Certain differences within the opposition now became apparent. The representatives of Starčević's Right's Party distanced themselves more and more from the views held by the Croatian Right's Party, indicating that they agreed with the "May Declaration" of the Yugoslav Club in Vienna from May 30, 1917. Starčević's followers accepted dissidents from the Coalition (V. Pribićević and S. Budisavljević), while Radić went on cooperating with the Croatian Right's Party until April 13, 1918, when he ceased co-operation with a statement to the press on his arrival in Prague. He Joined Starčević and his followers who fought for national concentration; he took part in the founding of the National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (Narodno vijeće Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba); entered the Business Committee of the Council and became a member of the Central Committee. On October 29, 1918, Radić voted for the "urgent proposal" (prešni predlog) of Sv. Pribićević and his followers for the breaking off of all state and legal relations with Austria and Hungary. He soon abandoned this general line, and formed one of his own, properly feeling that his time was coming in the new conditions. He held a decisive speech meant as a "last warning" in the Central Committee of the Council on November 24 and was the only one to vote against the departure of delegates from the National Council to Belgrade. The Assembly of the party approved this departure next day, and at the same time spoke in favour of the founding of a federal Yugoslav state.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
166576
URI
Publication date:
1.3.1971.
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