Independent State of Croatia 375905 225751229 2008-07-15T06:17:45Z AlasdairGreen27 5184764 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225732573 by [[Special:Contributions/Typesboats2009|Typesboats2009]] ([[User talk:Typesboats2009|talk]])RV vandalism {{Infobox Former Country |native_name = ''Nezavisna Država Hrvatska'' |conventional_long_name = Independent State of Croatia |common_name = Croatia, NDH | |continent = Europe |region = Balkans |country = Croatia |era = World War II |status = Puppet state (monarchy) |status_text = Puppet state of the [[Axis powers]] |empire = Nazi Germany | |event_start = |year_start = 1941 |date_start = April 10 |event_ent = |year_end = 1945 |date_end = May 8 | |p1 = Kingdom of Yugoslavia |flag_p1 = Flag of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg |s1 = Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |flag_s1 = Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg |image_flag = Flag of Croatia Ustasa.svg |flag = Flag of Croatia |image_coat = Coat of arms of the Independent State of Croatia.svg |symbol = Coat of arms of Croatia |image_map = Europe WWII 1942 locator map - Croatia.PNG |capital = Zagreb |latd=44|latm=48|latNS=N|longd=15|longm=58|longEW=E | |common_languages = [[Croatian language|Croatian]] |religion = [[Roman Catholicism]], [[Islam]], [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Protestantism]], and [[Croatian Orthodox Church|Croatian Orthodox]] |currency = [[Croatian kuna]] | |title_leader = [[King]] (1941 - 1943) / [[Poglavnik]] (1943 - 1945) |leader1 = [[Tomislav II of Croatia, 4th Duke of Aosta|Tomislav II]] (King) |year_leader1 = 1941 - 1943 |leader2 = [[Ante Pavelić]] (Poglavnik) |year_leader2 = 1943 - 1945 |title_deputy = [[Prime Minister]] ("President of the Government") |deputy1 = Ante Pavelić (Poglavnik) |year_deputy1 = 1941 - 1943 |deputy2 = [[Nikola Mandić]] |year_deputy2 = 1943 - 1945 | |stat_year1 = 1941 |stat_area1 = 115133 |stat_pop1 = 6300000 |footnotes = }} The '''Independent State of Croatia''' (''Nezavisna Država Hrvatska''; NDH) was a [[puppet state]]<ref>http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-1413183/Independent-State-of-Croatia</ref><ref>[http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005456 [[USHMM]] about Independent State of Croatia]</ref> of the [[Axis powers]]. It was established on [[April 10]], [[1941]], after the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] was attacked by the Axis forces. It was technically a [[monarchy]] and Italian [[protectorate]] under its Italian-born King [[Aimone, Duke of Aosta]] ("Tomislav II") from the signing of the Rome agreements on [[May 19]], [[1941]] up until the [[Italian capitulation (WW2)|Italian capitulation]] on [[September 8]] [[1943]], but the state was controlled by the governing fascist [[Ustaše]] movement. With a few exceptions, NDH was granted full recognition only by the Axis Powers and by countries under Axis occupation.<ref>[http://amac.hrvati-amac.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1122&Itemid=252 Hrvati AMAC - Kraljevina Jugoslavija – 10. travnja 1941. – NDH – Komunisticka Jugoslavija i RH<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The state [[Diplomatic missions of the Independent State of Croatia|maintained diplomatic missions]] in several countries, all in Europe. Embassies of Nazi Germany, Italy, [[Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|Tiso's Slovakia]], Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Spain, and Japan, as well as the consulates of Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Portugal, Argentina and [[Vichy France]] were located in Zagreb.<ref name="Vojinovic">Vojinović, Aleksandar. '' NDH u Beogradu'', P.I.P, Zagreb 1995. (pgs. 18-20)</ref><ref>[http://www.vjesnik.hr/Html/2002/05/23/Clanak.asp?r=sta&c=2 Vjesnik on-line - Stajališta<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==Government== The absolute leader of the NDH was [[Ante Pavelić]], who was known by his Ustaše title, "Poglavnik" (Head-man), throughout the war, regardless of his official government post. From 1941 - 1943, while the country was a ''de jure'' monarchy, Pavelić was its powerful Prime Minister (or "President of the Government"). After the capitulation of Italy, Pavelić became the [[head of state]] in the place of [[Aimone, Duke of Aosta]] ("Tomislav II") and retained the position of Prime Minister until early 1944, when he appointed [[Nikola Mandić]] to replace him.<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/independent-state-of-croatia/government/5/ Fifth government of NDH]</ref> ===Monarchy=== Upon formation of the NDH, Pavelić conceded to accession of [[Tomislav II of Croatia, 4th Duke of Aosta|Aimone the 4th Duke of Aosta]] as a [[figurehead]] King of Croatia under his new royal name, Tomislav II. Tomislav II was not interested in being the figurehead King of Croatia,<ref> The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of World War II, New York - London, 1980, Pages 394-395</ref> never actually visited the country and had no influence over the government. In the summer of 1941, Tomislav II declared that he would accept his position as King, only if certain demands were met: i) that he should be informed about all Italian activities on NDH territory; ii) that his reign should be confirmed by the NDH Croatian State Parliament and iii) that politics should play no part in the Croatian armed forces <ref>Stevan K. Pavlowich:The King Who</ref>. The demands for German and Italian military departures were obviously impossible to be met by the Italian and German governments, and Tomislav II thus avoided taking up his position in Croatia. Following the dismissal of Mussolini on [[25 July]] [[1943]], Tomislav II abdicated on [[31 July]] on the orders of Victor Emmanuel III. Shortly after the [[Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces|armistice with Italy]] in [[September]] [[1943]], Ante Pavelić declared that Tomislav II was no longer King of Croatia <ref>International documents of NDH</ref>. Tomislav II formally abdicated in October 1943 after the birth of his son [[Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta|Amedeo]], to whom he gave the name Zvonimir II. <ref name=one>[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Croatia.html Worldstatesmen]</ref><ref>{{Citation| title =Royal House of Italy| newspaper =[[European royal houses]]|url =http://www.chivalricorders.org/royalty/gotha/italygen.htm}}</ref> Tomislav II's full title was "King of Croatia, Prince of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Voivode of Dalmatia, Tuzla and Knin, Duke of Aosta (from 1942), Prince of Cisterna and of Belriguardo, Marquess of Voghera, and Count of Ponderano." ===The NDH Croatian State Parliament=== The NDH Croatian State Parliament was established by the ''Legal Decree on the Croatian State Parliament'' on [[January 24]], [[1942]].<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> The parliament members were not elected and meetings were convened just over a dozen times after the initial session in 1942. This decree established five categories of individuals who would receive an invitation to be a member of parliament from the Ustaše-appointed government: living Croatian representatives from the Croatian Parliament of 1918, living Croatian representatives elected in the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia parliamentary election, 1938|1938 Yugoslavian elections]], members of the [[Croatian Party of Rights]] prior to 1919, certain officials of the Supreme Ustaše Headquarters and two members of the German national assembly.<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> The responsibility for assembling all eligible members of parliament was given to the head of the Supreme Court, Nikola Vukelić, who found 204 people to be eligible.<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> In accordance with the decree, Vukelić ruled that those who had received the position of senator in 1939, had been part of Dušan Simović's government, or had been part of the Yugoslav government-in-exile forfeited their eligibility.<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> Two hundred and four people were declared eligible for the parliament, with 141 actually attending parliamentary meetings. Of the 204 eligible parliament members, 93 were members of the [[Croatian Peasant Party]], 56 of whom attended meetings.<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> The Parliament was only a deliberatory body and was not empowered to enact legislation. However, during the eighth session of the parliament in February of 1942, the Ustasha regime was put on the defensive when a joint Croatian Peasant Party-Croatian Party of Rights motion, supported by 39 members of parliament, questioned about the whereabouts of the Peasant Party's leader [[Vladko Maček]].<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> The following session, Ante Pavelić responded that Maček was being kept in isolation to prevent him from coming into contact with Yugoslav government officials. In less than a month, Maček was moved from the [[Jasenovac]] concentration camp to [[house arrest]] at his property in Kupinec.<ref name= "Peric259">Perić, Ivo. ''Vladko Macek: Politicki portret''. Golden marketing-Tehnicka knjiga. Zagreb, 2003 (pg.259-260)</ref> Maček was later called upon by foreigners to take a stand and counteract the Pavelić government, but he refused. Maček fled the country in 1945, with the help of Ustaše General Ante Moškov.<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/biography/m/moskov/ante/ Ante Moskov (Moškov) at Vojska.net]</ref> After its February 1942 session, the Parliament met only a few more times, and the decree was not renewed in 1943. ===Court System=== The Independent State of Croatia retained the court system of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but restored the courts' names to their original forms. The state had 172 kotar courts (local courts), 19 judicial tables (district courts), an Administrative Court and a Ban's Table (appellate court) in both Zagreb and Sarajevo, as well as the Table of Seven (supreme court) in Zagreb and a Supreme Court in Sarajevo.<ref>[http://www.pravst.hr/zbornik.php?p=12&s=40 Pravni fakultet Split - Zbornik<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Military=== {{seealso|Croatian Home Guard|Ustaše}} [[Image:CroatianTrefoil.PNG|thumb|right|200px|Croatian Trefoil (Cross of king Zvonimir), symbol of the Croatian Home Guard, dating back to the Austro-Hungarian period<ref>[http://zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr/descr/hr-ndh2.html Croatia - Independent State, 1941 - 1945 - Rank Flags and Naval Pennants, part II]</ref><ref>[http://www.uniforminsignia.net/?p=show&id=317&sid=2592 Hrvatsko Domobranstvo - Army (1942 -1945)]</ref>.]] The NDH founded the [[Croatian Home Guard]] (Croatian: ''Hrvatsko domobranstvo'') in April 1941 with the consent of the [[Wehrmacht]]. The Home Guard had an [[Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia|air force]] and a minimal [[Navy of the Independent State of Croatia|navy]]. The NDH also created the Ustaška Vojnica, which was conceived as an elite militia and a Croatian Gendarmerie. Under the terms of the Rome Agreement with Italy, the NDH navy was restricted to a few boats, which mostly patrolled inland waterways. When established in 1941, the air force consisted of captured Royal Yugoslav aircraft (seven operational fighters, 20 bombers and about 150 auxiliary and training aircraft). During the war it was supplemented by several hundred ex-German, Italian and French fighters and bombers until the final deliveries from Germany took place in March 1945.<ref>Lisko, T. and Canak, D., Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo u Drugome Svejetskom Ratu (The Croatian Airforce in the Second World War) Zagreb, 1998</ref>. Because of low morale among Home Guard conscripts and their increasing disaffection with the Ustaša regime as the war progressed, partisans came to regard them as a key element in their supply line. According to William Deakin, who led one of the British missions to the partisan commander-in-chief [[Josip Broz Tito]], in some areas, partisans would release Home Guard soldiers after disarming them, so they could come back into the field with replacement weapons, which would again be seized.<ref>F W D Deakin: Embattled Mountain, Oxford University Press (London 1971)</ref> Other Home Guard soldiers either defected or actively channelled supplies to the partisans — particularly after the NDH ceded Dalmatia to Italy. Home Guard troop numbers dwindled from 130,000 in early 1943 to 70,000 by late 1944, at which point the NDH government amalgamated the Home Guard with the Ustaška Vojnica. Despite these difficulties, the Croatian Army, with the help of the German-commanded XV Cossack Corps, held its lines in [[Slavonia]] against the combined Soviet/Partisan offensives from late 1944 to shortly before the NDH collapse in May 1945. The [[Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia]] provided some level of air support right up until the end of April 1945, encountering and sometimes defeating opposing aircraft from the RAF, USAAF and the Soviet Air Force. The last deliveries of up-to-date German Messerschmitt 109G & K fighter aircraft were still taking place in March 1945<ref>Savic, D. and Ciglic, B. Croatian Aces of World War II Osprey Aircraft of the Aces - 49 (Oxford, 2002)</ref>. The Croatian Army remained engaged in battle a week after the capitulation of Germany on May 8, 1945. At that time, the combined fighting force numbered some 200,000 troops.<ref>Munoz, A.J., For Croatia and Christ: The Croatian Army in World War II 1941-1945 Axis Europa Books (Bayside NY, 1996)</ref> ===Currency=== The currency of the Independent State of Croatia was the [[Croatian kuna]]. The Croatian State Bank was the [[central bank]], responsible for issuing currency. ===Railways=== The NDH formed Croatian State Railways after [[Yugoslav Railways]] was dissolved, and Serbian State Railways in Serbia was devolved.<ref>[http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/about_us/the_history_of_slovenske_zeleznice/ The history of Slovenske železnice]</ref><ref>[http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/11118 Organization of the Croatian State Railways]</ref> ==Geography== [[Image:Map of ndh.jpg|right|300px|thumb|A map of NDH 1941-1943]] Geographically, the NDH encompassed most of modern-day [[Croatia]], as well as all of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and part of modern-day [[Serbia]]. It bordered [[Nazi Germany]] to the northwest, the [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1944)|Kingdom of Hungary]] to the northeast, [[Serbia (1941-1944)|Military Administration of Serbia]] (a joint German-Serb government) to the east, [[Montenegro (Second World War)|Montenegro]] (an Italian protectorate) to the southeast, [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italy]] along its coastal area, and the [[Province of Ljubljana]] (consisting primarily of territory that had been [[Drava Banovina]] and is currently [[Slovenia]]) to the north. ===Establishment of Borders=== The exact borders of the Independent State of Croatia were unclear when it was established.<ref>[public.mzos.hr/fgs.axd?id=10921 Rise and fall of the NDH]</ref> Approximately one month after its formation, significant chunks of Croat-populated territory was surrendered to its [[Axis powers|Axis]] allies, the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1944)|Hungary]] and [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italy]]. *On [[May 13]] [[1941]], the NDH government signed an agreement with [[Nazi Germany]] which demarked their borders.<ref name ="Prebeg">[http://povijest.net/index.php/Nezavisna-Drzava-Hrvatska/Gospodarstvo-Nezavisne-Drzave-Hrvatske-1941-1945.-1.html Business of the Independent State of Croatia]</ref> *On [[May 19]], the ''Rome contracts'' were signed by diplomats of the NDH and Italy. Large parts of Croatian lands were occupied (annexed) by Italy, including most of [[Dalmatia]] (including [[Split]] and [[Šibenik]]), nearly all the Adriatic islands (including [[Rab]], [[Krk]], [[Vis (island)|Vis]], [[Korčula]], [[Mljet]]), and some smaller areas such as the [[Boka Kotorska|Boka Kotorska bay]], parts of the Hrvatsko Primorje and [[Gorski kotar]] areas. *On [[June 7]], the NDH government issued a decree that demarked its eastern border with Serbia.<ref name ="Prebeg"/> *On [[October 27]], the NDH and Italy reached an agreement on the Independent State of Croatia's border with [[Montenegro (World War II)|Montenegro]]. *On [[September 8]], [[1943]], Italy capitulated and the NDH officially considered the Rome contracts to be void, along with the [[Treaty of Rapallo, 1920|Treaty of Rapallo]] of [[1920] which had given Italy [[Istria]], [[Rijeka]] and [[Zadar]].<ref name ="Kisic">Kisić-Kolanović, Nada. ''Mladen Lorković-ministar urotnik'', Golden Marketing, Zagreb 1997. (pg. 304-306)</ref> German foreign minister [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] approved of the NDH retaking the territory from the Rome contracts.<ref name ="Kisic"/> By now most of the territory was controlled by the [[Yugoslav Partisans]], since the secessions of these areas made them strongly anti-NDH (a third of the total population of Split is documented to have joined the Partisans).{{Fact|date=March 2008}} By [[September 11]], 1943, NDH foreign minister Mladen Lorković received word from German consul [[Siegfried Kasche]] that the NDH should wait before moving on Istria. Germany's central government had already annexed Istria and Rijeka into the [[Operational Zone Adriatic Coast]] a day earlier.<ref name ="Kisic"/> Zadar was occupied solely by the Germans, and was probably considered a part of the puppet [[Italian Social Republic]]. [[Međimurje]] and southern [[Baranja]] were annexed (occupied) by the Kingdom of Hungary. NDH disputed this and continued to lay claim to both, naming the administrative province centered in Osijek as ''Great Parish Baranja'', despite none of the region lying within its control. This border was never legislated, although Hungary may have considered the [[Pacta conventa (Croatia)|Pacta conventa]] to be in effect, which delineated the two nation's borders along the [[Drava]] river. When compared to the republican borders established in the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|SFR Yugoslavia]] after the war, the NDH encompassed the whole of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], with its majority of non-Croat ([[Serbs|Serbian]] and [[Bosniaks|Bosniak]]) populations, as well as some 20km² of [[Slovenia]] (villages Slovenska vas near Bregana, Nova vas near Mokrice, Jesenice in Dolenjsko, Obrežje and Čedem) and the whole of [[Syrmia]] (part of which was previously in the [[Danube Banovina]]). ===Administrative divisions=== {{seealso|Counties of the Independent State of Croatia|Districts of the Independent State of Croatia}} [[Image:Great Parishes of NDH after September 1943.png|thumb|right|200px|Great Parishes of NDH after September 1943]] The Independent State of Croatia had three levels of administrative divisions: great parishes, districts and municipalities. At the time of its foundation, the state had 22 great parishes, 142 kotars and 1006 municipalities.<ref>Pusić, Eugen. ''Hrvatska središnja državna uprava i usporedni upravni sustavi''. Školska knjiga, Zagreb 1997. (pg. 173)</ref> The highest level of administration were the great parishes (Velike župe),<ref>[http://www.arhiv.hr/en/hr/fondovi/fondovi-i-zbirke/uprava-javne-sluzbe/1941-1945.htm Hrvatski Državni Arhiv<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> each of which was headed by a [[Grand Župan]]. {| style="background:transparent;" |- valign="top" | <!--column 1--> {| style="background:transparent;" | 1 || '''Baranja'''</tr> | 2 || '''Bilogora'''</tr> | 3 || '''Bribir and Sidraga'''</tr> | 4 || '''Cetina'''</tr> | 5 || '''Dubrava'''</tr> | 6 || '''Gora'''</tr> | 7 || '''Hum'''</tr> | 8 || '''Krbava - Psat'''</tr> |} | <!--column 2--> {| style="background:transparent;" | 9 || '''Lašva and Glaž'''</tr> | 10 || '''Lika and Gacka'''</tr> | 11 || '''Livac and Zapolje'''</tr> | 12 || '''Modruš'''</tr> | 13 || '''Pliva and Rama'''</tr> | 14 || '''Podgorje'''</tr> | 15 || '''Pokupje'''</tr> | 16 || '''[[Posavje Great Parish|Posavje]]'''</tr> |} | <!--column 3--> {| style="background:transparent;" | 17 || '''Prigorje'''</tr> | 18 || '''Sana and Luka'''</tr> | 19 || '''Usora and Soli'''</tr> | 20 || '''Vrhbosna'''</tr> | 21 || '''Vuka'''</tr> | 22 || '''Zagorje'''</tr> |} |} ==History== [[Image:Poglavnik.jpg|right|120px|thumb|[[Ante Pavelić]], self-proclaimed "Poglavnik" (Head-man) of the Independent State of Croatia.]] {{see also|Pacta conventa (Croatia)|Creation of Yugoslavia}} ===Influences on the rise of the Ustaše=== In 1915 a group of political emigres from Austria-Hungary, predominantly Croats but including some Serbs and a Slovene, formed themselves into a [[Yugoslav Committee]], with a view to creating a South Slav state in the aftermath of [[World War I]]. They saw this as a way to prevent Dalmatia being ceded to Italy under the [[Treaty of London (1915)]]. The committee was succeeded by a [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs|national council]] which in 1918 sent a delegation to the Serbian monarch to offer unification within a [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]. The leader of the [[Croatian Peasant Party]], [[Stjepan Radić]], warned on their departure for Belgrade that the council had no democratic legitimacy. But a new state, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, was duly proclaimed on December 1, 1918, with no heed taken of legal protocols such as the signing of a new ''Pacta Conventa'' in recognition of historic Croatian state rights.<ref>Ferdo Šišić: Ljetopis Jugoslavenske akademije, Vol.49 (Zagreb 1936) p279)</ref><ref>Srdja Trifkovic: Ustaša, Lord Byron Foundation for Balkan Studies (London 1998) pp20 ff</ref> Croats were at the outset politically disadvantaged with the centralized political structure of the kingdom, which was seen as favouring the Serb majority. The political situation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was fractious and violent. In 1927, the [[Independent Democratic Party]], which represented the [[Serbs of Croatia]], turned its back on the centralist policy of King Alexander. On [[20 June]] [[1928]], Stjepan Radić and four other Croat deputies were shot while in the Belgrade parliament by a member of the [[People's Radical Party|Serbian People's Radical Party]]. Three of the deputies, including Radić, died. Resultant outrage threatened to destabilise the kingdom. In January 1929, [[Alexander of Yugoslavia|King Alexander]] responded by proclaiming a royal [[dictatorship]], under which all dissenting political activity was banned and renaming the state the "Kingdom of Yugoslavia". One consequence of Alexander's 1929 proclamation and the repression and persecution of Croatian nationalists was a rise of support for the Croatian extreme nationalist, [[Ante Pavelić]], who had been a Zagreb deputy in the Yugoslav parliament and who was to be implicated in Alexander's assassination in 1934, went into exile in Italy and gained support for his vision of liberating Croatia from Serb control and racially "purifying" Croatia. While residing in Italy, Pavelić and other Croatian exiles founded the [[Ustaša]] insurgency.<ref>[http://www.moljac.hr/biografije/pavelic.htm Ante Pavelić on Croatian]</ref> ===Establishment of NDH=== {{History of Croatia}} Following the attack of the [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis powers]] on the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] in 1941, and the quick defeat of the Yugoslav Army (''Jugoslavenska Vojska''), the country was occupied by Axis forces. [[Slavko Kvaternik]], deputy leader of the [[Ustaše]] proclaimed the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH - Nezavisna Država Hrvatska) on [[April 10]], [[1941]]. Pavelić, who was known by his Ustaše title, "Poglavnik" (Head-man) returned to [[Zagreb]] from exile in Italy on April 17 and became the absolute leader of the NDH throughout its existence (the Axis powers had offered Vladko Maček the opportunity to form a government, since Maček and his party, the [[Croatian Peasant Party]] (Croatian: Hrvatska seljačka stranka - HSS) had the greatest electoral support among Yugoslavia's Croats. Maček, a self-proclaimed Yugoslav, refused as he did not believe in Croatian independence.) <ref>[http://www.workmall.com/wfb2001/yugoslavia/yugoslavia_history_partition_and_terror.html], Yugoslavia Partition and Terror</ref> <ref>[http://zope06.v.servelocity.net/hjs/sections/greater_europe/document.2005-06-12.7328995393], Adding Insult to Injury: Washington Decorates a Nazi Collaborator</ref> Acceding to the demands of the [[Kingdom of Italy]], and particularly its [[Fascist]] regime under [[Benito Mussolini]], Pavelić reluctantly accepted [[Tomislav II of Croatia, 4th Duke of Aosta|Aimone the 4th Duke of Aosta]] as a [[figurehead]] King of the NDH under his new royal name, Tomislav II. Tomislav II never visited the NDH and had no influence over the government, which was dominanted by Pavelić. Tomislav II was not interested in being the figurehead King of Croatia. <ref> The Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of World War II, New York - London, 1980, Pages 394-395</ref> On learning that he had been named King of Croatia, he told close colleagues that he thought his nomination was a bad joke by his cousin King [[Victor Emmanuel III of Italy|Victor Emmanuel III]].<ref name=Petacco>{{cite book| last =Petacco| first =Arrigo| title =A Tragedy Revealed: The Story of the Italian Population of Istria, Dalmatia, and Venezia Giulia| publisher =University of Toronto Press| date =2005| pages =26, 27| isbn =0802039219 }}</ref> Tomislav II's position was intended by the Italian Fascist regime to legitimize the presence of Italian armed forces on Croatian soil. From a strategic perspective, establishment of the NDH was a means by Mussolini and Hitler to pacify the Croats, while reducing the use of Axis resources, which were more urgently needed for [[Operation Barbarossa]]. Meanwhile, Mussolini used his long-established support for Croatian independence as leverage to coerce Pavelić into signing an agreement on May 19, 1941, under which central [[Dalmatia]] and parts of [[Hrvatsko primorje]] and [[Gorski kotar]] were ceded to Italy. <ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,765632,00.html TIME of 26 May 1941]</ref> Under the same agreement, the NDH was restricted to a minimal [[Navy of the Independent State of Croatia|navy]] and Italian forces were granted military control of the entire Croatian coastline. Upon Pavelić signing the agreement, other Croatian politicians rebuked him. Pavelić publicly defended the decision and thanked Germany and Italy for supporting Croatian independence.<ref>Tanner, Pp. 147</ref> This concession to Italy sowed the seeds of discontent between the "home" and "emigre" elements of the Ustaša that continued through the lifetime of the NDH. After refusing leadership of the NDH, Maček called on all to obey and cooperate with the new government. The [[Roman Catholic Church]] was also openly supportive of the government. According to Maček, the new state was greeted with a "wave of enthusiasm" in Zagreb, often by people "blinded and intoxicated" by the fact that the Germans had "gift-wrapped their occupation under the euphemistic title of ''Independent State of Croatia''". But in the villages, Maček wrote, the peasantry believed that "their struggle over the past 30 years to become masters of their homes and their country had suffered a tremendous setback". (''Maček pp. 220-231''). Dissatisfied with the Pavelić regime in its early months, the Axis Powers in September 1941 asked Maček to take over, but Maček again refused. Perceiving Maček as a potential rival, Pavelić subsequently had him arrested and imprisoned in the [[Jasenovac]] concentration camp. The Ustaše initially did not have an army or administration capable of controlling all the territory of the NDH. The Ustaše movement had fewer than 12,000 members when the war started. The northeastern half of NDH territory was in the so-called "German Zone of Influence" where the German armed forces ([[Wehrmacht]]) exercised ''de facto'' control. The southwestern portion of the NDH was controlled by the Italian army until capitulation of [[Fascist]] [[Italy]] in 1943, when the NDH acquired control of northern Dalmatia ([[Split]] and [[Šibenik]]). ====Role of Existing Organizations==== Previously important organizations, the [[Croatian Peasant Party]] (HSS) and the [[Catholic Church]], were relatively uninvolved in the creation and maintenance of the Independent State of Croatia. Many organizations that opposed or threatened the Ustaše were eventually outlawed.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} For example, the Croatian Peasant Party was banned on [[June 11]], 1941 in an attempt by the Ustaše to displace the party as the primary representative of the Croatian peasantry{{Fact|date=April 2008}} and its leader, [[Vladko Maček]], was sent to the [[Jasenovac concentration camp]]. The Catholic Church initially participated in state mandated religious conversions, but eventually the main branches of the Church stopped when it became obvious that these conversions were merely a form of punishment for the ''undesirable'' population. ====Italian influence==== Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and Ante Pavelić had close relations prior to the war. Mussolini and Pavelić both despised the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Italy had been promised, in the [[London Pact]] of 1915, that it would receive Dalmatia from Austria-Hungary at the end of [[World War I]]. The peace negotiations in 1919, however, influenced by the [[Fourteen Points]] proclaimed by Woodrow Wilson, called for national self-determination and determined that the Yugoslavs rightfully deserved the territory in question. Italian nationalists were enraged. Italian nationalist [[Gabriele D'Annunzio]] raided the Croatian town of [[Fiume]] (which held a mixed population of Croats and Italians) and proclaimed it part of the [[Italian Regency of Carnaro]]. D'Annunzio declared himself "[[Duce]]" of Carnaro and his blackshirted revolutionaries held control over the town. D'Annunzio was known for engaging in passionate speeches aimed to draw Croatian nationalists to support his actions and to oppose Yugoslavia.<ref>Bosworth, Richard J. B. 2005. ''Mussolini's Italy''. New Work: Allen Lane. pp112-113</ref> Croatian nationalists, such as Pavelić, opposed the border changes that occurred after World War I. Not only was D'Annunzio's symbolism copied by Mussolini but also D'Annunzio's appeal to Croatian support for the dismantling Yugoslavia was copied and implemented as a foreign policy approach to Yugoslavia by Mussolini. In the 1930's, upon Pavelić and the Ustaše being forced into exile by the Yugoslav government, Mussolini offered Pavelić and the Ustaše sanctuary in Italy and allowed them to use training grounds to prepare for war against Yugoslavia. In exchange for this support, Mussolini demanded that Pavelić agree that [[Dalmatia]] would become part of Italy if Italy and the Ustaše successfully waged war on Yugoslavia. Although Dalmatia was a largely Croat-populated territory, it had been part of various Italian states, such as the [[Roman Empire]] and the [[Republic of Venice]], for centuries and was part of Italian nationalism's irredentist claims. In exchange for this concession, Mussolini offered Pavelić the right for Croatia to annex all of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], which had only a minority Croat population. Pavelić agreed to this controversial exchange. The level of independence achieved by Pavelić's regime was not respected by the Italian Fascist regime, which had intended to maintain Croatia as a protectorate and annex all of Dalmatia. Hitler was unsure of Italy's ability to maintain control of its own territories due to military failures on other fronts, and preferred NDH control over Croat populated territories. Despite this uncertainty, the Italian Fascist regime annexed a portion of Dalmatia, some Adriatic islands, and exercised significant influence in the NDH by maintaining military control over all of the state's coastline. Italy intended to keep the NDH within its sphere of influence by forbidding it to build any significant navy.<ref>Tanner, Marcus. 1997. ''Croatia: A Nation Forged in War.'' New Haven: Yale University Press. Pp. 147</ref> Italy only permitted small patrol boats to be used by NDH forces. This policy forbidding the creation of NDH warships was part of the Italian Fascists' policy of ''[[Italian Mare Nostrum|Mare Nostrum]]'' (Latin for "Our Sea") in which Italy was to dominate the [[Mediterranean Sea]] as the [[Roman Empire]] had done centuries earlier. Italian armed forces assisted the Ustaše government in persecuting Serbs. In 1941, Italian forces captured and interned the Serbian Orthodox [[Bishop Irinej]] of [[Dalmatia]].<ref>Tanner, Pp. 151</ref> ====German Influence==== At the time of the invasion of Yugoslavia by Germany, [[Adolf Hitler]] was uneasy with Mussolini's agenda of creating a puppet Croatian state, and preferred that areas outside of Italian territorial aims become part of Hungary as an autonomous territory.<ref>[http://www.snd-us.com/Liberty/st_jasenovac_revisited.htm]</ref> This would appease Germany's ally Hungary and its nationalist territorial claims and would also avoid the creation of a Slavic puppet state, as Hitler viewed all Slavs as racially degenerate. The German position on Croatia changed after the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941. The invasion was spearheaded by a strong German invasion force which was largely responsible for the capture of Yugoslavia. Military forces from other Axis powers, including Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria made few gains during the invasion. The invasion was precipitated by the need for German forces to reach Greece to save Italian forces, which were failing on the battlefield against the Greek armed forces. Upon rescuing Italian forces in Greece and having conquered Yugoslavia and Greece almost singlehandedly, Hitler became frustrated with Mussolini and Italy's military incompetence. Germany improved relations with the Ustaše and supported the NDH claims to annex the Adriatic Coast in order reduce Italy's planned territorial gains.<ref>[http://www.snd-us.com/Liberty/st_jasenovac_revisited.htm]</ref> Nevertheless, Italy annexed a significant central portion of Dalmatia and various Adriatic Islands. This was not what had been agreed with Pavelić prior to the invasion; Italy had expected to annex all of Dalmatia as part of its irredentist claims. Hitler sparred with his army commanders over what policy should be undertaken in Croatia regarding the Serbs. German military officials thought that Serbs could be rallied to fight against the [[Yugoslav Partisans]]. Hitler disagreed with his commanders, but pointed out to Pavelić that the NDH could create a completely Croat state only if it followed a constant policy of persecution of the non-Croat population for at least fifty years.<ref>Tanner, p147</ref>. When [[Hermann Neubacher]], Hitler's southeast-Europe plenipotentiary, reported the wholesale slaughter of Serbs, including babies, children, women and old men, Hitler replied: "I also have told the Poglavnik that it is not so simple to annihilate such a minority. It is too large." <ref>Hermann Neubacher: Sonderaufrrage Sudest 1940-5 (Berlin 1956) quoted in English in Edmond Paris: Genocide in Satellite Croatia 1941-1945, American Institute for Balkan Affairs (Chicago 1961) p9.</ref> According to reports by General Glaise-Horstenau, Hitler was angry with Pavelić, whose policy inflamed the rebellion in Croatia, thwarting any prospect of deploying NDH forces on the Eastern Front.<ref name="zvonko">Hebrang, by Zvonko Ivanković - Vonta, Scientia Yugoslavica 1988 Pages 169-170</ref> Moreover, Hitler was forced to engage large forces of his own to keep the rebellion in check. For that reason, Hitler summoned Pavelić to his war headquarters in [[Vinnytsia]] (Ukraine) on September 23, 1942. Consequently, Pavelić replaced his minister of the Armed Forces, Slavko Kvaternik, with the less zealous Jure Francetić. Kvaternik was sent into exile in Slovakia - along with his son Eugen, who was blamed for the persecution of the Serbs in Croatia.<ref>Jozo Tomasevich: War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945: Occupation and Collaboration,Stanford University Press, 2001 page 440</ref> Before meeting Hitler, to appease the public, Pavelić published an "Important Government Announcement" (»Važna obavijest Vlade«), in which he threatened those who were spreading the news "about non-existent threats of disarmament of the Ustashe units by representatives of one foreign power, about the Croatian Army replacement by a foreign army, about the possibility that a foreign power would seize the power in Croatia ..."<ref>Hrvatski narod, September 3rd, 1942</ref> <!--See talk. Hans Helm, the appointed head of the [[Gestapo]] in the Independent State of Croatia, wrote in his confidential January 14, 1943 report (titled as "Basis of the partisan danger" and sent to General Kasche): {{cquote|''The new regime in Croatia started programs of annihilation and destruction of the Serbs, which ''[the programs]'' are publicly supported by the highest ranks of the Croatian government, and adopted as the main government goal. The fact that different talk is coming from the official Ustaše side - under pressure by the rebellion and due to the course of events, even a reconciliation was mentioned - leaves no possibility to compensate the harm caused by, for example, Dr. [[Mile Budak]], the actual ''[Croatian]'' minister in Berlin...''<ref name="zvonko"/>}}--> General Glaise-Horstenau reported: {{cquote|''The Ustaše movement is, due to the mistakes and atrocities they have committed and the corruption, so compromised that the government executive branch (the home guard and the police) shall be separated from the government - even for the price of breaking any possible connection with the government...''}} The Ustaše gained German support for plans to eliminate the Serb population in Croatia. One plan involved an exchange in 1941 between Germany and the NDH, in which 20,000 Catholic Slovenes would be deported from German-held Slovenia and sent to the NDH where they would be assimilated as Croats. In exchange, 20,000 Serbs would be deported from the NDH and sent to the [[Military Administration of Serbia]], a joint German and Serb led government in the territory of Serbia which was not occupied by its neighbours.<ref>Tanner, Pp. 151</ref> The German occupation forces allowed the expulsion of Serbs to Serbia, but instead of sending the Slovenes to Croatia, they were also deported to Serbia.<ref>Tanner, Pp. 151</ref> In total, about 300,000 Serbs had been deported or fled from the NDH to Serbia by the end of [[World War II]].<ref>Tanner, Pp. 151</ref> The Nazi regime demanded that the Ustaše adopt anti-Semitic racial policies, persecute Jews and set up concentration camps. Pavelic and the Ustaše accepted Nazi demands, but their racial policy focused primarily on eliminating the Serb population. When the Ustaše needed more recruits to help exterminate the Serbs, and the state broke away from Nazi anti-Semitic policy by promising honourary Aryan citizenship, and thus freedom from persecution, to Jews who were willing to fight for the NDH.<ref>Tanner, Pp. 149</ref> As this was the only legal means allowing Jews to escape persecution, a number of Jews joined the NDH's armed forces. This aggravated the German SS, which claimed that the NDH let 5,000 Jews survive via service in the NDH's armed forces.<ref>Tanner, Pp. 149</ref> German anti-Semitic objectives for Croatia were further undermined by Italy's reluctance to adhere to a strict anti-Semitic policy, which resulted in Jews in Italian-held parts of Croatia avoiding the same persecution facing Jews in German-held eastern Croatia.<ref>Tanner, pp 149-150</ref> After Italy abandoned the war in 1943, German forces occupied western Croatia and the NDH annexed the territory ceded to Italy in 1941. === Partisan uprising === {{main article|Yugoslav People's Liberation War}} [[Image:TijentisteSutjeska.jpg|thumb|left|230px|The Monument commemorating the [[Sutjeska offensive|Battle of Sutjeska]] in Tjentište, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]]] The Ustaše's genocidal onslaught on its minorities provoked mass movements of resistance, inspired in part by royalist ([[Četnik]]) and – more effectively – communist ([[Yugoslav Partisan|Partisan]]) ideologies, but driven primarily by a determination to fight back by any means. The uprisings were particularly strong in rural areas where many village populations fled from the terror and then mounted guerrilla operations from vantage points in the mountains and forests. On [[June 22]], [[1941]], the [[First Sisak Partisan Brigade]] was formed in the [[Brezovica forest]] near [[Sisak]], Croatia; this was to be celebrated as the first armed resistance unit formed in occupied Europe during WWII. Croats, Serbs and citizens of all nationalities and backgrounds began joining the pan-Yugoslav [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]] led by [[Josip Broz Tito]]. The Partisan movement was soon able to control a large percentage of the NDH (and Yugoslavia) and before long the cities of occupied [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]] and [[Dalmatia]] in particular were surrounded by these Partisan-controlled areas, with their garrisons living in a ''de-facto'' state of siege and constantly trying to maintain control of the rail-links. <ref>http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/battles-and-operations</ref> Croats were significantly more numerous than Serbs among the Partisan ranks.<ref>http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/yugoslavia/brigade</ref><ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/yugoslavia/detachment/partisan/ Partisans detachments of Yugoslavia 1941-45<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/yugoslavia/statistics/partisans/</ref> In 1944, the third year of the war in Yugoslavia, Croats formed 60% of the Partisan operational units originating from the [[Federal State of Croatia]].<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/world-war-2/yugoslavia/statistics/partisans/ Strength of Yugoslav partisans]</ref> The Partisan movement was generally multiethnic, although at least one Croatian unit was overwhelmingly Serbian (the 6th Lika Proletariat Division ''"Nikola Tesla"'').<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/hrv/drugi-svjetski-rat/jugoslavija/divizija/6/ Sixth Lika Proletariat Division Nikola Tesla]</ref> FS Croatia also had the highest number of detachments and brigades among the federal units, and together with the forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Partisan resistance in the NDH made up the majority of the movement's military strength. The Partisan commander, Marshall Josip Broz Tito, was from Croatia, and most of the general staff were of Croatian nationality.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} ===End of the war=== In August 1944, there was an attempt by the NDH Foreign [[Political minister|Minister]] [[Mladen Lorković]] and Minister of War [[Ante Vokić]] to execute a [[coup d'etat]] against Ante Pavelić. The [[Lorković-Vokić coup]] failed and its conspirators were executed. By early 1945, the NDH army withdrew towards Zagreb with German and [[Cossak]] troops, and continued fighting for a week after the German surrender on [[May 9]], [[1945]]. They were soon overpowered and the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) effectively ceased to exist in May 1945. The advance of [[Tito]]'s partisan forces, joined by the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]], caused mass retreat of the Ustaše towards Austria. In May 1945, a large column composed of [[anti-communist]]s, [[Chetniks]], Ustaša followers, NDH Army troops and civilians retreated from the partisan forces, heading northwest towards [[Italy]] and [[Austria]]. Ante Pavelić detached from the group and fled to Austria, Italy, [[Argentina]] and finally [[Spain]], where he died in 1959. The rest of the group, consisting of over 150,000 soldiers (including Cossak troops) and civilians, negotiated with the British forces for passage to the Austrian side of the Austrian-Slovenian border. The British Army, however, turned disarmed soldiers and civilians over to the partisan forces. The end of the war resulted in the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Yugoslavia (which later became the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]), with the [[Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Yugoslavia|Constitution of 1946]] officially making each of [[Croatia]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] one of the six constituent republics of the new state. ===Aftermath=== Although [[Neo-Nazism in Croatia|far right movements in Croatia]] inspired by the former NDH reemerged during the [[Croatian War of Independence]], the current [[Constitution of Croatia]] does not recognize the Independent State of Croatia as the historical or legitimate [[predecessor state]] of the current Croatian republic.<ref>[http://www.usud.hr/htdocs/en/the_constitution.htm The Constitution of Croatia], in English.</ref> Despite this, upon declaring independence from Yugoslavia, the Republic of Croatia rehabilitated the [[Croatian Home Guard]], who now receive a state pension.<ref>[http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/25853 The Political Economy of Pension Reforms in Croatia 1991-2006]</ref> German soldiers who died on Croatian territory were not commemorated until Germany and Croatia reached an agreement on marking their grave sites in 1996.<ref>http://www.nn.hr/clanci/medjunarodni/1997/111.htm</ref> ==Demographics== {{Unreferencedsection|date=February 2008}} === Population === According to the data presented by former Austro-Hungarian officer Hefner, the population of the Independent State of Croatia numbered 6,042,000 people (data from [[1941-04-23]]), including:{{Fact|date=January 2008}} * [[Croats]] = 3,069,000 (50.78%) * [[Serbs]] = 1,847,000 (30.65%) * [[Muslims by nationality|Muslims]] = 717,000 (11.86%) * others = 410,000 (6.80%), of whom: ** [[Germans]] = 150,000 ** [[Hungarians]] = 75,000 ** [[Slovaks]] and [[Czechs]]= 65,000 ** [[Jews]] = 40,000 ** [[Slovenes]] = 37,000 ** [[Italians]] = 5,000 According to another source, the Independent State of Croatia had a population of 6,300,000 and was ethnically diverse - the relative majority was held by [[Croats]], but as Bosnian Muslims were counted as Croats, Croats held absolute majority according to Ustashe ideology, while over ''33%'' (2,100,000) of the populace were [[Serbs]] (of whom most were [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]]); around ''50%'' of the population were [[Catholic]]s (Germans and Hungarians, aside from Croats). 750,000 inhabitants of the independent state of Croatia were [[Muslims]]. There was a significant minority of 30,000 Jews living mostly in [[Sarajevo]], [[Zagreb]] and [[Osijek]]. Authorities soon disbanded the Serbian Orthodox Church on their territory and established [[Croatian Orthodox Church]] whose patriarch was Germogen, an exiled Russian.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} ===Displacement of people=== A large number of people were displaced due to internal fighting within the former Yugoslav republic. The NDH had to accept more than 200,000 [[Slovenia]]n refugees who were forcefully evicted from their homes as part of the German plan of annexing parts of the Slovenian territories. As part of this deal, the Ustaše were to deport 200,000 [[Serbs]] from Croatia military regions; however, only 182,000 had been deported when German high commander Bader stopped this mass transport of people because of the uprising of Chetniks and partisans in [[Serbia]]{{Fact|date=July 2007}}. Because of this, 25,000 Slovenian refugees ended in Serbia. ==Racial legislation== [[Image:Ustasaguard.jpg|thumb|right|200px|An [[Ustaše]] guard poses among the bodies of victims in [[Jasenovac]] [[concentration camp]].]] On the first day of his arrival in Zagreb, [[Ante Pavelić]] proclaimed a law that remained in effect during the entire period of the Independent State of Croatia. The law, which was enacted on April 17, 1941, declared that all people who offend, or try to offend, the Croatian nation are guilty of treason — a crime punishable by death.<ref>[http://www.crohis.com/izvori/ustzk.pdf Independent State of Croatia laws on Croatian]</ref> One day later, the first Croatian [[Antisemitism|anti-semitic]] racial law was published. This law did not create panic among the [[Jew]]ish population, because they believed it was merely a continuation of the anti-semitic laws of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which were proclaimed in 1939.<ref>[http://web.ceu.hu/jewishstudies/pdf/02_goldstein.pdf Ivo Goldstein:Jews in Yugoslavia 1918-41]</ref> However, the situation quickly changed on April 30, with the publication of the [[Aryan race]] laws. A notable part of the racial legislation was the religious conversion laws, the implications of which were not understood by the majority of the population when they were published on May 3, 1941. The implications become clear following the July speech of the minister of education, [[Mile Budak]], in which he declared: "We will kill one third of all Serbs. We will deport another third, and the rest of them will be forced to convert to Catholicism." Racial laws were enforced until May 3, 1945, when they were abolished.<ref>[http://www.crohis.com/izvori/ustzk.pdf Independent State of Croatia laws on Croatian]</ref> The NDH government cooperated with the Nazi Germany in the [[Holocaust]] and exercised their own version of the holocaust against ethnic Serbs living in their borders. At least 330,000 Serbs, 30,000 Jews and 30,000 Roma were killed during the NDH (see [[Jasenovac]]) <ref>[http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005449 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum about Jasenovac and Independent State of Croatia]</ref> <ref>Genocide and Resistance in Hitler’s Bosnia: The Partisans and the Chetniks, 1941-1943 pp20</ref> and the same number of Serbs were forced out of the NDH. Although the Ustase's main target for persecution were the Serbs, it also participated in the destruction of the Jewish population. The NDH deviated from Nazi anti-Semitic policy by promising honourary Aryan citizenship to some Jews, if they were willing to enlist and fight for the NDH.<ref>Tanner, Pp. 149</ref> ==Culture== Soon after establishment of the NDH, the Yugoslav Academy of Science and Arts was renamed the [[Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts]]. The country had four state theatres: [[Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb| Zagreb]], [[Osijek]], [[Dubrovnik]] and in [[Sarajevo]].<ref>[http://www.matica.hr/Vijenac/vijenac338.nsf/AllWebDocs/Povratak_zaboravljene_glumice Matica hrvatska - Povratak zaboravljene glumice<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.kazaliste-dubrovnik.hr/povijest.shtml layout<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Volumes two to five of [[Mate Ujević]]'s [[Croatian Encyclopedia]] were published during this period. The NDH was represented at the 1942 [[Venice Biennale]], where the works of Joza Kljaković, [[Ivan Meštrović]], Ante Motika, Ivo Režek, Bruno Bulić, Josip Crnobori, Antun Medić, Slavko Kopač and Slavko Šohaj were presented by Vladimir Kirin. The state had one university, the [[University of Zagreb]], then known as the Croatian University. The university established a pharmaceutical faculty in 1942,<ref>[http://www.pharma.hr/Odsjek.aspx?mhID=3&mvID=58 Odsjek<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and a medical faculty in Sarajevo in 1944.<ref>[http://www.mf.unsa.ba/english/ Medical Faculty of Sarajevo University Mission Statement]</ref> The [[Croatian Red Cross]] was established in 1941, but it was not internationally recognized.<ref>[http://www.hck.hr/?path=hr/static/page/Tko_smo.Povijest History of the Croatian Red Cross]</ref> The state had two secular holidays; the anniversary of its establishment was commemorated on [[April 10]], and the assassination of [[Stjepan Radić]] was commemorated on [[June 20]], [[1928]].<ref name ="Pozar">Požar, Petar (editor). ''Ustaša – dokumenti o ustaškom pokretu''. Zagrebačka stvarnost, Zagreb 1995. (pg. 270)</ref> In addition, the state granted holidays to the different religious communities: *The Catholic community received New Year's Day, [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]], the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the feast of Saint Joseph, Easter, the feast of the [[Ascension of Jesus]], Pentecost, the feast of [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]], the [[Assumption of Mary]], the feast of [[All Saints]], the feast of the [[Immaculate Conception]], and Christmas.<ref name="Pozar"/> *The Eastern Orthodox community received New Year's Day, the Epiphany, the feast of the [[Annunciation]], Easter, the feast of the [[Ascension of Jesus]], Pentecost, the [[Assumption of Mary]], and Christmas, all according to the Roman calendar.<ref name="Pozar"/> *The Evangelical community received New Year's Day, Holy Friday, Easter, the feast of the [[Ascension of Jesus]], Pentecost, [[Reformation Day]], Christmas Eve, and Christmas.<ref name="Pozar"/> *The Muslim community received [[Islamic New Year]], Mevlud ([[Mawlid]]), [[Ramadan]], and Kurban-Bajram ([[Eid al-Adha]]).<ref name="Pozar"/> The official publication of the government was the ''Narodne novine'' (Official Gazette). Dailies included Zagreb's ''Hrvatski narod'' (Croatian nation), Osijek's ''Hrvatski list'' (Croatian Paper) and Sarajevo's ''Novi list'' (New Paper).<ref>[http://www.ffzg.hr/pov/RADOVI-ZHP-online/labus.pdf Allies in the NDH's print 1943-1945]</ref> The state's news agency was called the Croatian News Office "Croatia" (Hrvatski dojavni ured "Croatia") which took on the role formerly performed by the Avala news agency in Yugoslavia.<ref>[http://bib.irb.hr/prikazi-rad?&rad=241013 Hrvatska znanstvena bibliografija - Prikaz rada<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A state film institute, ''Hrvatski slikopis'', produced many films, including ''[[Straža na Drini]]'' and ''Lisinski'' <ref>[http://www.hfs.hr/hfs/ljetopis_clanak_detail_e.asp?sif=1777 The Oldest Attempt of Film Education in Croatia: Zagreb Film Schools 1917-1947]</ref>. The Croatian cinematographer, Oktavijan Miletić, was active during this period.<ref>[http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/10999 Filmological Research in the Vienna Film Archive 2004]</ref><ref>[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0587293/ Oktavijan Miletic at IMDB.com]</ref> The state's main radio station was [[Croatian Radiotelevision|Hrvatski Krugoval]], known before the war as Radio Zagreb.<ref name ="Radio">[http://free-sk.htnet.hr/radio_museum/Povijest%20radija%20u%20Hrvatskoj.htm History of Radio in Croatia]</ref> The NDH increased the [[transmitter]]'s power to 10 kW.<ref name ="Radio"/> The radio station was based in Zagreb, but had branches in [[Banja Luka]], [[Dubrovnik]], [[Osijek]] and [[Sarajevo]].<ref>[http://www.hrt.hr/hrt/povijest/povijest_hrv.html History of HRT]</ref> It maintained cooperation with the International Broadcasting Union.<ref>[http://www.hnd.hr/novinar/Novinar00_11_12/47-49ebu.pdf The Role of Public Audiovisual Media]</ref> ==Sport== The most popular sport in the NDH was [[football (soccer)|football]], which had its own [[Croatian First League|league system]], with the highest level known as the Zvonimir Group.<ref>[http://www.nk-maksimir.hr/prosle_sezone/1942-43_drugi_razred.htm Tomislav Group]</ref> Top clubs included [[Građanski Zagreb]], [[Concordia Zagreb]] and [[HAŠK]]. The [[Croatian Football Federation]] was accepted into [[FIFA]] on [[July 17]], [[1941]].<ref>[http://www.hns-cff.hr/?ln=hr&w=o_hns About the HNS]</ref> The [[Croatia national football team|national football team]] played [[Croatia national football team games - 1940s|15 matches]] representing the NDH as an independent state. The NDH had other national teams. The [[Croatian Handball Federation]] organized a national handball league, and a [[Croatia national handball team|national team]].<ref>[http://www.hrs.hr/savez.php?section=2 History of Handball]</ref> Its boxing team was led by African-American Jimmy Lyggett.<ref>[http://www.hoo.hr/izdavastvo/olimpPDF/OLIMP-18-2006.pdf Olymp, October 2006<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Croatian Table-Tennis Association organized a national competition as well as a national team which participated in a few international matches<ref>[http://www.hsts.hr/history.php History of Croatian table-tennis]</ref>.The [[Croatian Olympic Committee]] was recognized as a special member of the [[International Olympic Committee]], with [[Franjo Bučar]] acting as its representative.<ref>[http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/redir/216033.aspx History of Croatian Olympic Movement]</ref> The Croatian Skiing Association organized a national championship, held on Zagreb's [[Sljeme]] mountain<ref>[http://www.zss.hr/110/III-poglavlje.htm 110 years of skiing in Zagreb]</ref>. A national [[bowling]] competition was held in 1942 in Zagreb which was won by Dušan Balatinac.<ref>[http://www.osijek-online.com/vodic/index.php?page=4&id=616 April 12, 2008]</ref> ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== * Hermann Neubacher: Sonderauftrag Suedost 1940-1945, Bericht eines fliegendes Diplomaten, 2. durchgesehene Auflage, Goettingen 1956 * Ladislaus Hory and Martin Broszat: Der Kroatische Ustascha-Staat, 1941-1945 Stuttgart, 1964 * Encyclopedia Britannica, 1943 - Book of the year, page 215, Entry: Croatia * Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Europe, edition 1995, page 91, entry: Croatia * Encyclopaedia Britannica, Edition 1991, Macropedia, Vol. 29, page 1111. * Helen Fein: Accounting for Genocide - Victims and Survivors of the Holocaust, The Free Press, New York, Edition 1979, pages 102, 103. * Alfio Russo: Revoluzione in Jugoslavia, Roma 1944. * Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, Vol. 2, Independent State of Croatia entry. * Vladko Maček: In the Struggle for Freedom, Robert Speller & Sons, New York,1957 * Lisko, T. and Canak, D., Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo u Drugome Svejetskom Ratu (The Croatian Airforce in the Second World War) Zagreb, 1998 ISBN 953 97698 0 9. * Savic, D. and Ciglic, B. Croatian Aces of World War II Osprey Aircraft of the Aces -49, Oxford, 2002 ISBN 1 84176 435 3. * Munoz, A.J., For Croatia and Christ: The Croatian Army in World War II 1941-1945 Axis Europa Books, Bayside NY, 1996 ISBN 1 891227 33 5. ==See also== *[[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)]] *[[Miroslav Filipović]] *[[Ante Pavelić]] *[[Croatian Righteous Among the Nations]] *[[Croatian Home Guard]] *[[Ustaše]] *[[Croatian Armed Forces]] *[[Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia]] *[[Chetniks]] *[[Yugoslav partisans]] *[[Croatian Orthodox Church]] *[[Balkans Campaign]] *[[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)#Fascism|Fascist Italy]] *[[History of Yugoslavia]] *[[List of leaders of Independent State of Croatia]] *[[Nedic’s Serbia]] *[[List of anti-Partisan operations in the Independent State of Croatia]] ==External links== * [http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=34 Axis History Factbook - Croatia] *[http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/axis_allies/croatian_awards.htm Independent State of Croatia's Military Decorations] *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/1673249.stm BBC News: Croatian holocaust still stirs controversy] *[http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/staticpages/361.html#Top Holocaust in Balkan] *[http://www.terra.es/personal7/jqvaraderey/194145fc.gif Map of Fascist Europe] *[http://terkepek.adatbank.transindex.ro/kepek/netre/211.gif Map of Independent State of Croatia with border of occupation zones] {{DEFAULTSORT:Croatia, Independent State of}} [[Category:Independent State of Croatia]] [[Category:Former Slavic countries]] [[Category:Short-lived states]] [[bs:Nezavisna Država Hrvatska]] [[bg:Независима хърватска държава]] [[ca:Estat independent de Croàcia]] [[cs:Nezávislý stát Chorvatsko]] [[da:Den Uafhængige Stat Kroatien]] [[de:Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien]] [[es:Estado Independiente de Croacia]] [[eo:Sendependa ŝtato Kroatio]] [[fr:État indépendant de Croatie]] [[hr:Nezavisna Država Hrvatska]] [[it:Stato Indipendente di Croazia]] [[nl:Onafhankelijke Staat Kroatië]] [[ja:クロアチア独立国]] [[no:Den uavhengige staten Kroatia]] [[pl:Niepodległe Państwo Chorwackie]] [[pt:Estado Independente da Croácia]] [[ro:Statul Independent al Croaţiei]] [[sl:Neodvisna država Hrvaška]] [[sr:Независна Држава Хрватска]] [[sh:Nezavisna Država Hrvatska]] [[fi:Itsenäinen Kroatian valtio]] [[uk:Незалежна Держава Хорватія]] [[sv:Oberoende staten Kroatien]] [[zh:克羅埃西亞獨立國]]