Croatian National Revolution

The **Croatian National Revolution** or the **Croatian War for Independence**, describe a long process of events beginning with the Dalmatian Uprising in 1940 to the Croatian Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1945, sometimes included as well the Union of Serbia and Croatia in 1946.

## Federal Austro-Hungary

The creation of a more decentralised empire after the First Great War and the "unification" of the "Croatian lands" including Dalmatia and Slovene in the Kingdom of Illyria is both a productive and a problematic issue, on one hand the ethnic tension in Croatia reached the lowest, it also serves to break the powerful Croats-Serbs coalition now that one of their main pillar is accomplished leaving the Serbs dealing with new rise in Greater Croatianism in their colleagues. However, this also created a problem in Croatia itself, the expanded franchise and unification of Croatian lands as well as compromises from the Habsburg mean that neither the Frankish Party of Rights or the liberal People's Party, instead politics were dominated by the HSS peasant party, benefited greatly from the expanded rural political life that neither the urban bourgeois party could capture. This by factor eliminating the parties ideologically align with the union with Austria and the Hasburg from relevancy in political atmosphere.

In Dalmatia itself, the intense ethnic tension continuous, as despite the annexation, the coast was still economically backward and disconnected from the rest of Croatia, a contesty of the slow economic recovery of the Empire post-war and Hungarian objections. Despite the emperor's promises, much real changes in Dalmatia never occurred due to obstructions, bureaucracy, corruption, court political infighting or a combination of all.

The market collapse of 1937 hit Austro-Hungary devastatingly due to its post-war economy have been dependent on Germany and Croatia's, especially Dalmatia's reliant of exports on Germany put the region in a deep economic crisis that exacerbates nationalist and socialist agitations.

## Early Stages of the War

Discontents were rising as Austria-Hungary enters the second war with the Western Powers, the war tax, requisition, rationing and disrupted economic activities made the impoverish rural country quite restless, desertions from the ongoing war in Italy from the Croatian and other South Slav forces in the Empire became regular occurrence, especially among the conscripted were membership of socialists party like the Illyrian Socialist Party, enjoying much popularity in the unemployed urban population in the years preceding. The unfruitful cooperation with the Habsburgs in term of implementing policies in Croatia have also made a strong split in many main stream parties, including the Croatian nationalist of the Party of Rights and republicans among Radić's HSS, as well as himself. It was in that context that a revolt, or rather a mutiny occurred in Split, Dalmatia after the order to mobilise the Croatian Domobran (Home Guards) Regiments for Italy in face of the stalemate over the Alps as the Franco-Italian forces destroyed the puppet Milan Republic in the decisive Third Battle of the River Piave.

### Dalmatian Uprising

The revolt occurred in the 25th Domobran Regiment. Protesting low payment, poor living conditions and to be put under control of Hungarian officers for deployment. The event was concurring with a trial of conspiracy for spying for Serbia of many Dalmatian Serbs and Croats who protests the war, thus the mood in Dalmatia was already inflammable. While political mood in Zagreb was no different. An insignificant attack on the local police station by a group of young radical nationalists leaving a few people killed, triggered the first shot of the later recalled the Croatian National Revolution (or the Illyrian Revolution in Western historiography). As the police repression and curfew regime was met with intense protests, the 25th Regiment was deployed in Split to maintain the peace. Later that week, the Austro-Hungarian military commander suspended local government due to "Jacobinist agitation", but this backfired as by now the civilian leaders, radical conscripts in the rank began an open revolt. It leader was a certain Captain Josip Broz.

The Illyrian Socialist Party was immediately outlawed, many HSS members were also arrested right away or complicit with the party, on direct authority from Vienne, bypassing the Ban, firstly it created a constitutional crisis as a violation of the Augsleich agreement of Illyrian self-rule and democratic liberties. However, the Emperor was convinced, or rather miscommunicated on the severity of the measures for security as demanded by his Chancellor and the eagerness of local Unionist officials and army leaders.

The revolt itself held out in the city for a few days before the soldiers scattered into the countryside following the entry of a Slovak division pulled from the ongoing Balkan War with Serbia over the Montenergin Front. However, such existence of the "Croatian National Movement" (Serbocroat: *Hrvatski narodni pokret - HNP)* continue to exists, with bands of bandits, deserters hiding in the countryside.

### Croatian National Movement - Army.

With a bountiful number of PoWs of South Slav origin after the victory over the Milan Republic and their Austrian benefactors, the Bureau, on the direction as passed by the Third International Congress's Resolution 12 "On the Oppressed Nations of Europe" during its 7th Congress in 1937, recognised the nations of the the Austro-Hungarian Empire the right to self-determination, began the organising them into a volunteer forces to rejoin the war using the partisan-paratrooper cancer cells tactic extremely effective in Belgium. By 1941, the Croatian National Movement, organised from exiles Croatian leaders of the Illyrian Socialist Party and others began the formation of the so-called Croatian National Army (Serbocroat: *Hrvatska narodna armija - HNA*).

With the Russian entry into the war that same year, the Croatian national leaders, especially Radic recognised one fact, the Croats must come out of the war with a leverage position toward anyside and not be subjected to afterthought on the diplomatic table, much like Poland accomplished. As well as the yugoslavist current being revived with the struggle of the Serbs and Russian among the Serbs of Croatia. Secret correspondence was established with the growing Croatian National Movement fighting in Dalmatia, now under the domestic leadership of the dissident HSS leader Božidar Magovac. showing the neutrality attitude of the Government in Zagreb clandestinely toward the movement.

## Operation Guardian to the Hungarian Plain Offensive

Growing considerable via deserters from the Croatian regiments destined for the front after multiple failures of the Austro-Hungarian Army to contain the southward thrust of the Romanian-Russian forces, in combination with consistent and plentiful supply from the French war industry. The Croatian National Movement by 1943 have developed into a mass movement across the western half of Croatia, although its military control were limited to some villages of the Dalmatian coast.

The Franco-Italian forces have long planned for a strike into the weak belly of the Austrian Empire from the Balkan, although it was only made possible after multiple smaller probing attempts in 1943, codenamed Operation Guardian, the largest naval invasion up to date of the war until Operation Starlight in 1947. Massive amount of aids, manpower and new recruits dropped in for the HNA to disrupt the frontline. Which were successful and the Franco-Italian Army landed in Dalmatia. Which trigger the National Movement into active combat alongside the landing forces during the 6 months fighting of the Dalmatian Front. However by this time, the domestic movement have grown distanced from its supposed leadership in exile by the Illyrian Socialist Party and more on the side of the Zagreb Government, whose leadership remains in the hand of the HSS, despite the death of Raidc that year, via his equally capable Macek-Predavec duo to continue his legacy to try to walk the line between Vienne, Moscow and Paris. But the actual presence of the Pact on the Balkan made quite a complicate matter for the domestic leadership of the National Movement, especially as the Pact now try to enforce the control of the Illyrian Socialist Party thinly veiled on them and the prospect of communism is ill at ease with many peasant leaders, as well as nationalists in the rank of the movement. Especially with the formal creation of the Illyrian First Proletarian Division, made up entirely of socialist functionaries under direct party leadership. Another point of contest is that the Pact now go back on its promise to proclaim a Croatian Republic, or rather dodge the question because Paris still wants to hold on to other schemes for the Balkan.

The turning point between the relationship between the HNA and the MARPAC came after the Hungarian Plain Offensive, broke the Hungarian Army and enter the plain, the Government of Hungary collapsed soon after, troops from the southern frontline had to be pulled out of the fighting to rapidly move north to save Austria proper. Two scenarios now appears for the Zagreb Government:

1. The Russian and their allies breakthrough to Croatia, the Italian to the east, thus divide Croatia between the two if no action is to be taken
2. They proclaimed independence, which could delay the entry of either side, but risk the counter-offensive of the Austrian and their German ally, a disbandment of the Zagreb Government means that Croatia will not have any remaining legitimate domestic government and will be subjected to whatever division later.

Neither scenario are acceptable, but the latter could be helped, if the Croatian Government could raise a force to defend itself long enough to negotiate with either side. For this the long established connection with the HNA came to good use. Secret agreements between the HNA and the Zagreb Government came to a fruitful plan of action, on the morning of March 31st 1945, the Croatian Sabor proclaimed the Independence of the Croatian State. What followed was a process called the April War or April Revolution, in which fighting arose from Croatian units of the Austro-Hungarian Armies in Croatia to disarm foreign officers and takeover barracks. The HNA under its secret agreement quickly marched a into Bosnia to halt the advance of the Serbian Army into the abandoned territory. The HNA plot was discovered by the Bureau but it was too close to take actions and only 30% of the HNA forces could be controlled and liquidified its leadership. The brief fighting between rebellious HNA units, Croatian mutineers against Serbian Army, Hungarian remnant troops and the Italian Red Army was dubbed the April War. For before the fighting escalate with the either the Serbian or Italian, the Croatian Sabor immediately sent a mission to Belgrade for negotiation.

## Union with Serbia

Belgrade receives the telegrams in rapid fashion, despite their want to advance further and secure Greater Serbia, its militarily not possible for the exhausted Serbian Army to fight the Croatian and get anywhere on time before the Russian or Italian, both of which are great threats. Because Russian control of Croatia would mean Hungarian influence, whose new government have allied itself with Russia to cut into Slav lands. While the Italian would prove a major existencital threat of a wedge of Red power into the heartland of the Balkan. Secondly without allying with Croatia, the Russian would never accept nor would it be able to legitimately present its full territorial border claim to the Russian. Thus agreements reached between Zagreb and Belgrade for a political union. With the Serbian Army now on the border, the PACT was forced to halt its military offensive on that direction for the threat of conflict with the Eastern Alliance. The PACT responded by proclaiming a provisional government in Split led by the Illyrian National Commitee (proclaimed as the Federal Socialist Republic of Illyria after 1946).

Meanwhile on the otherside the temporary wartime agreements that saved Croatia now needs to be discussed throughoutly, the Italian threat was severe, with the lost of both Dalmatia and Slovenia for Croatia, while nearly 8 years of war have exhausted Serbia to its brink. Despite the wishes of many Greater Serbianist, the cooler heads of the Croatian Serbs prevailed as the mood of the day, with a political union between the two into one state, but two separated kingdoms, with eachother internal politics and parliament, however shared a common parliament and common government to direct matter of interests to both Serbia and Croatia, without violating its own autonomy.

Thus its proclaimed in Zagreb that same year, that Alexander II of Serbia became Alexander of the Serbs and Croats