Croatian Spring
The Croatian spring ( Croatian Hrvatsko proljeće in also called masovni pokret or MASPOK for movement of mass ) is the name given to a Croatian political movement of the beginning of the Années 1970 which then called with more freedom in Croatia member of the socialist Federal republic of Yugoslavia.
Claims
The movement started by the publication by an influential group poets and Croatian writers of a Déclaration on the name and the position of the Croatian language in 1967. After 1968, the patriotic goal of this document was transformed into a general movement for musculus rectus abdominis for the Croatia. It gained the support of the students and many organization.The claims related in particular to the civic rights but also the right to post the Croatian Nationalité. The latter went against the policy of the Communist government of Tito which since the Second world war sought to minimize and to remove this concept in multinational Yugoslavia, fearing a loss of stability and possibly a division of the country because of the ethnic tensions. The prohibition of the national symbols included/understood the symbols of the fascistic ideologies related on the Oustachi S or the Četnik but also the majority of the songs and habits patriotic.
Some, in the movement, claimed also a decentralization of the economic system which would have made it possible Croatia to enjoy the profits of tourism in the republic. On average, approximately 50% of the foreign currencies entering in Yugoslavia came from Croatia but Croatia preserved only 7% of these resources. A Croatian national Bank would have allowed another redistribution of the profits. Between 1965 and 1970, Croatia at that time received 16,5% of the funds of the federal state whereas the Serbia (more populated) received 46,6% from them. Protests related to also the monopoly of the Yugoslav Banque of investment for the foreign trade of Belgrade on all the overseas investments.
Other protests related to the fact that the Armée popular Yugoslavian sent called in all the republics of Yugoslavia, without consideration of their republic of origin.
Some also wished to include the Herzégovine in the Croatia. The latter was used by propaganda anti-nationalist to discredit the claims related to decentralization and with autonomy, the binder has expansionist visions and finally separatists.
Unfolding
The movement organized demonstrations in 1971 gathering several thousands of students of Zagreb.Croatian linguists (Stjepan Babić, Božidar Finka and Milan Moguš) published in 1971 a book of grammar and orthography called Hrvatski pravopis . The use of the Croatian term hrvatski meaning went against the policy of gathering of the Croatian with the Serbe under the name srpskohrvatski or hrvatskosrpski , Croato-Serb Serbo-Croatian or . The book was banished and all the burned copies. However a copy found its way until London where the book was printed.
The Yougoslave government saw these events like a resurgence of Croatian nationalism and used the police force to repress the demonstration. Many demonstrators were stopped and held in December 1971 and some were even condemned to several years of prison. Certain estimates increase the number of people continued for their participation in the movement at 2000. Among them one counts the future Croatian president Franjo Tuđman and the journalist Bruno Bušić.
Direction of the Croatian Communist party, whose Vladimir Bakarić and Milka Planinc tried to punish the dissidents and to exclude several member from the communist organizations coeds and the party him even. However, certain people with the head of the party like Savka Dabčević-Kučar and Miko Tripalo supported the movement.
Consequences
In 1974, a new federal constitution was ratified. It gave more autonomy to the republics, and answered the principal goals of the movement of 1971. The new constitution gave in particular to the republics the right to make secession. Right which the majority used 20 years later.
Some of the students who took part in the Croatian spring became influential political personalities. Ivan Zvonimir-Čičak became a leader of the Comité of Helsinki for the human rights, Dražen Budiša the leader of the Croatian social Liberal party. Savka Dabčević-Kučar and Miko Tripalo founded the Croatian Popular party.
The fourth edition of the Hrvatski pravopis is regarded as an official definition of the Croatian language .