The designations of left and right assumed different meanings in Croatia during the Twentieth century. It is possible to identify three periods within the century: before the Second World War, under Communism and during the Post-Communist period. Before the Second World War the national problem was a focal point in Croatian politics. It cut across the political system since it was the focus of action of very different parties, for example the Peasant Party and the Communist Party. Issues traditionally identifying right and left, such as social action or ideology, remained in the background. Very slowly, starting from the Twenties, the first elements of distinction between the two alignments emerged as to ideology, due to the emerging of anticommunism and of the radical-right Ustasha movement. In the Communist period right and left were not present in Croatia as alternative political parties, but the use of the two categories was very important for the Communist regime. Its self-representation as the left implied rejecting everything that was considered right. In a way, right and left were nevertheless present within the Communist Party, as a reformist wing conflicted with the old group in power. The breaking up of Yugoslavia was accompanied by the creation of a multiparty system in Croatia. At that time, a competition between left and right seemed possible. Given the regional conflicts Croatia was involved in, the national issue became central again. The two protagonists of the Croatian political system were the Social-democratic party (SDP) on the left, heir to the Communist party, and on the right the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) headed by Franjo Tudjman, a former dissident. While the left tried to show its difference from the past by adopting Western patterns (and not fully managing to do so), the right, more linked to tradition, brought back old values and almost exclusively focused on the national issue. The war deeply influenced Croatia’s transition to a multiparty system, turning it into a de facto blocked political structure where only the HDZ was national enough to rule the country. Things were to change only after the death of the cumbersome Croatian President Tudjman in 1999.
Destra e sinistra in Croazia: una dicotomia possibile?
COSTANTINI, EMANUELA
2012
Abstract
The designations of left and right assumed different meanings in Croatia during the Twentieth century. It is possible to identify three periods within the century: before the Second World War, under Communism and during the Post-Communist period. Before the Second World War the national problem was a focal point in Croatian politics. It cut across the political system since it was the focus of action of very different parties, for example the Peasant Party and the Communist Party. Issues traditionally identifying right and left, such as social action or ideology, remained in the background. Very slowly, starting from the Twenties, the first elements of distinction between the two alignments emerged as to ideology, due to the emerging of anticommunism and of the radical-right Ustasha movement. In the Communist period right and left were not present in Croatia as alternative political parties, but the use of the two categories was very important for the Communist regime. Its self-representation as the left implied rejecting everything that was considered right. In a way, right and left were nevertheless present within the Communist Party, as a reformist wing conflicted with the old group in power. The breaking up of Yugoslavia was accompanied by the creation of a multiparty system in Croatia. At that time, a competition between left and right seemed possible. Given the regional conflicts Croatia was involved in, the national issue became central again. The two protagonists of the Croatian political system were the Social-democratic party (SDP) on the left, heir to the Communist party, and on the right the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) headed by Franjo Tudjman, a former dissident. While the left tried to show its difference from the past by adopting Western patterns (and not fully managing to do so), the right, more linked to tradition, brought back old values and almost exclusively focused on the national issue. The war deeply influenced Croatia’s transition to a multiparty system, turning it into a de facto blocked political structure where only the HDZ was national enough to rule the country. Things were to change only after the death of the cumbersome Croatian President Tudjman in 1999.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
