Page 56 - Crossroads of the Adriatic: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia

Historical Overview of Croatia

The Croats are believed to be a purely Slavic people who migrated from present day Poland and
settled in present-day Croatia during the 6th century. After a period of self-rule, Croatians
agreed to the Pacta Conventa in 1091, submitting themselves to Hungarian authority. By
the mid-1400s, concerns over Ottoman expansion led the Croatian Assembly to invite the
Habsburgs, under Archduke Ferdinand, to assume control over Croatia. Habsburg rule proved
successful in thwarting the Ottomans, and by the 18th century, much of Croatia was free of
Turkish control.

In 1868, Croatia gained domestic autonomy while remaining under Hungarian authority.
Following World War I and the demise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Croatia joined the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes became
Yugoslavia in 1929). Yugoslavia changed its name once again after World War II. The new state
became the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia and united Croatia and several other states
together under the communistic leadership of Marshal Tito.

After the death of Tito and the fall of communism throughout Eastern Europe, the Yugoslav
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in 1990. Long-time Croatian nationalist Franjo Tudjman was elected President, and one year
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Croatia escalated, and one month after Croatia declared independence, war erupted.

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year when Croatia fought to regain one-third of the territory lost the previous year. A second
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it, too, was broken in May and August 1995 after Croatian forces regained large portions of
Krajina, prompting an exodus of Serbs from this area. In November 1995, Croatia agreed to
peacefully reintegrate Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Dirmium under terms of the
Erdut Agreement. In December 1995, the Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian governments signed
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of all refugees.

The death of President Tudjman in December 1999, followed by the election of a coalition
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The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ivica Racan, progressed in
implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords, regional cooperation, refugee returns, national
reconciliation, and democratization.

These changes, along with the November 23, 2003 national elections, which ushered in Prime
Minister Ivo Sanader, lead the European Commission to report favorably on the country’s
development, and to encourage Croatia to apply for EU (European Union) membership.
Negotiations began in 2004 but were slowed down by resistance from Slovenia, due to
concerns about the designation of their border with Croatia. In September 2009, when

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