Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.22586/ss.24.1.14
The Osijek Group on the Croatian Political Scene
Mislav Gabelica
orcid.org/0000-0001-8769-3599
Abstract
In this paper, drawing on primary and secondary sources, the author analyses the activities of the Osijek Group, a political grouping that played a significant role in Osijek in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this regard the author refers to the rootedness of the Osijek Group in the tradition of the Independent People’s Party and states that an examination of the Osijek Group, an estimation of the manner in which the Independent People’s Party would have operated had it not vanished from the political scene after uniting with some of the members of the Party of Rights in 1903.
In the late 19th century Osijek was an environment where there were no members of the Party of Rights, hence in the early 20th century there were not many more Frankists who were protecting the original principles of the Party of Rights after the ideological capitulation of the original Party of Rights. Along with the supporters of transient Croatian-Hungarian factions, the only opposition among Osijek Croatians consisted of the supporters of the Independent People’s Party going by the name “obzoraši”. After this party merged in 1903 with the original Party of Rights into the Croatian Party of Rights, its supporters from Osijek, known in the sources as the Osijek Group, maintained the pure policy of Obzor within the new party. The basic principle of this policy, according to which it differed from the policy of the Croatian Party of Rights, was its unconditional loyalty to the Monarchy. Because of this principle of its policy, the Osijek Group interpreted the principle of Croatian-Serbian national unity, which it shared with the Croatian Party of Rights, as an opportunity to assimilate Croatian Serbs, and not as the right to self-determination of the Croatian-Serbian population. This policy factor led in the end to closer ties with Ban Tomašić and the separation from the Coalition in which the subversive elements had the final say. The policy of the Osijek Group was particularly influenced by its conservative Catholic world view which was why the members of this group considered the Catholic Monarchy a safeguard that would preserve their values and the reason why out of organized Catholics, closely tied to the Osijek Group, a strong “Frankovci” faction had arisen resisting the establishment of a Yugoslav State on the ruins of the Monarchy.
Keywords
Osijek Group; "obzoraši"; "pravaši"; Frankists; Osijek; Slavonia
Hrčak ID:
323171
URI
Publication date:
8.12.2024.
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