Conference paper

Croatian National Revival - goals and achievements

NIKŠA STANČIĆ

Abstract

Requests set by the Croatian Parliament in
1845 and 1847 might have become laws had the ruler signed them. He failed to do so and revo-
lutionary movements started in the monarchy in March of 1848. The parliament, elected according to the new election system prepared by the ‘Ban’ council and proclaimed by the newly elected Ban Josip Jelačić, was not any more class-based but a pure bourgeois parliament. Under new conditions the Croatian movement pronounced without the monarch’s consent a government independent of Hungary and the Croatian language was spontane- ously recognized as official. Međimurje and Rijeka got annexed to North Croatia, the Military Border- land came under a direct Ban’s rule whereas the Ban himself was appointed guvernor of Rijeka and Dalmatia. Thus the whole territory of the ‘triune kingdom’ was run by the Ban, although in reality his rule in Dalmatia was but formal. In this way a great deal of the revival programme was realized in rather unstable political circumstances. Since the revolution was crushed in 1849 and Bach’s apsolutism (neoapsolutism) came into power in
1852, all political achievements and improvements of 1848 were abrogated and the Croatian language was replaced by official German. Yet, it was only a temporary defeat.
The Croatian Revival has left permanent results: it has, by connecting elements of cultural tradition and even surpassing it, created a unique Croatian standardized language and Croatian Latin script as well as laid the ground for contemporary Croatian literature and culture. It has also shaped political programme for independence and territo- rial integrity within the Hapsburg Monarchy. At the time a decisive phase in creating a modern Croatian nation was successfully carried out by af- firming national identity. The Illyrian idea played a role in neutralizing regional kajkavian provincial- ism and suppressing neighbouring south Slavic na- tions’ claims to Croatian land. The Revival solved the problems crucial for forming contemporary national identity. The started processes were to be continued and defined throughout later periods.

Keywords

national revival; Illyrism; nation; Croatian script; Croatian language

Hrčak ID:

52458

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/52458

Publication date:

1.2.2009.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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