The Croatian Spring: Nationalism, Repression and Foreign Policy Under Tito (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781784539276)

Nationalism is a key topic within Balkan Studies, and one of the driving forces behind the bloody and difficult history of the region. Using primary sources not previously utilized by western scholars, this book documents the 'Croatian Spring' - a national and liberal movement that began in the mid-sixties after the fall of the vice president and head of the Yugoslav secret police Aleksandar Rankovic. The author chronicles these developments of democratisation and de-centralisation of communist Yugoslavia, placing them in the wider context of the Cold War and Yugoslav relations with the Soviet Union and the UnitedStates. Tito managed to balance national stability and his relations with East and West, until he felt that the national-liberal movements challenged his authority, and thus threaten the very foundations of the Yugoslav state. From late 1971 onwards, the liberal political and cultural classes of Croatia and other republics were abruptly purged, impoverishing Yugoslav leadership for subsequent decades.Batovic also considers the role of the West, who felt a centralised and stable Yugoslavia was in their interests and quickly accommodated themselves to the repression of the reformist movement.

Author: Ante Batovic
ISBN-10: 1784539279
ISBN-13: 9781784539276
Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Company
Language: English
Published: 05/30/2017
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.60w x 1.30d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2017