Original scientific paper
THE WORKFORCE OF HERZEGOVINA AND ITS INCLUSION IN THE PROCESS OF CROATIAN NATIONAL INTEGRATION
Tihomir Zovko
orcid.org/0000-0002-2259-3121
; Faculty of Science and Education, University of Mostar
Abstract
With the arrival of Austrian-Hungarian monarchy in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
transportation infrastructure and communications between
settlements started to flourish. The development of trade, handicraft and
industry was followed by the emergence of working class who joined the
processes of Croatian national integration at the begining of the 20th
century. Croats were the first in Herzegovina who regulated the rights
and liabilities of workers as early as 1888, and they were among few people
in the world who in their gazette Glas Hercegovca (Herald of Herzegovinian)
in 1890 marked May 1 as the Day of international workers’
solidarity. They tried to solve the workers’ problems by establishing the
national guild association at the beginning of the 20th century, one of
which was Croatian worker association in Mostar. Its activity was of social
character with clearly emphasized national note. Croatian newspaper
Radnička obrana (Worker’s Defense) dealt with the problems of Croatian
workers contributing thus to their better position in the contemporary
society. Inclusion of Croatian workers in the process of Croatian national
integration marked the beginning of a massive national movement
which involved both peasants and workers. Very soon, problems which
emerged in the operation of Croatian worker association, led to the end
of its activity but, after a short interruption, the association was reestablished.
During the war times, its activity was directed to providing
support to the families whose sons were on the front line, especially to
the families of the killed and wounded ones. It ceased working in 1920
with the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Keywords
transportation; industry; working class; strike; Croats; Herzegovina; Worker’s Defense gazette; association
Hrčak ID:
228064
URI
Publication date:
11.12.2013.
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