History of Croatia
The Croats settled in present-day Croatia in the 6th century. They were Christianized in the 9th century, but preserved autonomy from Rome until the 1000s. Although country was recognized as independant dukedom in 879, the first King of Croatia, Tomislav, was crowned in 925, having created a sizeable state, including most of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the last king, Zvonimir, had died in 11 CT AD, Croatian lords recognized a common king for Croatia and Hungary (Ladiszlav I.) in treaty called "Pacta Conventa" (1102), thus making a personal union with Hungary. The two crowns would remain connected until the end of World War I.
After the 1526 Battle of Mohacs, the Hungarian dynasty was extinguished, and Croatian nobility elected the Austrian Ferdinand Habsburg king. During the next 200 years, the Ottoman Empire was a constant threat, and the Military Frontier was created in 1578, an area carved out of Croatia and ruled directly from Vienna. Austria encouraged settlement of Germans, Hungarians, Serbs, and other Slavs in the Military Frontier, creating an ethnic patchwork. The Ottoman Empire was driven out of Hungary and Croatia by the 1700s, and Austria brought the empire under central control.
As Austrians pushed germanization and Hungarians magyarization, Croatian nationalism emerged. The Croatian national revival began in the 1830s with the Illyrian Movement. By the 1840s, the movement had moved from cultural goals to resisting Hungarian political demands. In 1868, Croatia was given domestic autonomy, but the governor was appointed by Hungary. Struggle towards more independence within the Austro-Hungarian monarchy was interrupted by the World War I.
Shortly before the end of World War I, on October 29, 1918, the Croatian Parliament proclaimed Croatia's administrative relations with Austria and Hungary void. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was created December 1. Despite the promised equality for all of its peoples, the new country soon became a dictatorship which denied national rights to all non-serbian population. The Croats, as well as others, were not happy with such rule from Belgrade. One of the major causes of turmoil was the assassination of the most prominent Croatian politician, Stjepan Radic, which took place in the parliament in 1928. and the assassin was never prosecuted. Later assassination of king Aleksandar was tributed to Croatian extremists and the repression had mounted. Croatia gained more local control in 1939, but the WWII broke and the Axis powers occupied Yugoslavia in 1941.
After the occupation, the Croatian radical-right Ustase were installed by Hitler and Mussolini, forming the so-called "Independent State of Croatia". This regime was responsible for numerous atrocities and carrying through of the nazi-inspired extermination of political opponents and members of other nations. Simultaneously, Serbian fascists, so-called "chetniks", were active in some parts of this puppet state, carrying through similar atrocities as Ustase. The anti-fascist movement emerged early in 1941., being probably the first significant uprising against nazis in occupied Europe. Many Croats and others joined this "partisan" movement, which was completely controlled by communists. Partisan forces were, on their side, responsible for crimes against their opponents and civilians at the end of the war.
Croatia became part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945, which was ran by a communist dictatorship. Trends after 1965 led to the "Croatian spring" of 1970-71, the independence movement crushed by Tito's regime. In 1980, after Tito's death, political and economic difficulties mounted. The federal government began to crumble. Inflation soared, and reforms failed. In 1990, the Croatian Democratic Union won the first free postwar elections. Opposition to Belgrade regime was rising. Conflict between Belgrade-backed Serbs and new government escalated, and 1 month after Croatia declared independence June 25, 1991, Serbian forces consisting of Yugoslav army and local Serbian nationalists invaded and occupied about one-third of the country. The area under their control became the scene of ethnical cleansing of non-serbian population and atrocities unseen in Europe since the end of the WWII. January 1992 brought UN-sponsored cease-fire, but Serbian forces continued with artillery shelling cities along the frontline, killing numerous civilians. In the same time they were engaged in occupation of the neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, from where hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to unoccupied Croatia. In 1995. Croatian government forces returned most of the occupied parts under their control, during which the last tragic wave of tens of thousands refugees, this time Serbian civilians, left those parts, while crimes were committed against those who had remained.
Croatian forces were supporting Bosnian army and Bosnian Croats in their resistance to Serbian invaders. Situation worsened in the period of conflict between Bosnian Moslems and Croats, which brought atrocities against civilians on all sides and threatened with disappearance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This seemed as a favorable solution to some western circles that were supporting Serbian invasion in order to re-establish Yugoslavia at any cost. However the Moslem-Croatian conflict ended in 1994. with help from US administration. The situation had gradually stabilized and in 1995. a joint action of Bosnian and Croatian government forces managed to liberate the occupied parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the war ended with the signing of the Dayton agreement.
The Croatian Democratic Union remained on power until 2000., controlling all institutions and suppressing the development of full democracy. In 2000. they lost the elections, and the new coalition government was formed. A long-term process of rebuilding of the country, reconciliation and return of all refugees progressed.