Croatian Peasant Party
Encyclopedia
The Croatian Peasant Party is a center
and socially conservative political party in Croatia.
. The party contested elections for the first time in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
in 1906 winning no seats. The party posted gains in subsequent elections. In 1908
the party won two seats, and in 1910
and 1911 nine seats. While Croatia
was still under the rule of Budapest
and Vienna, the HSS sought for greater autonomy, peasants' rights and land reform.
and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the HSS garnered significant popular and electoral support for its advocacy of an independent Croatian state, and its opposition to the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which actually meant joining together the State of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes with the Kingdom of Serbia) which the party claimed would be dominated by Serbia
.
Despite the party's efforts, the kingdom was established, and the HSS became an opposition party in parliament. Although popular among its constituency, the party's weakness was its limited national appeal and its ethnic and economic-based constituency.
The HSS advocated a federal state in which Croatia would be afforded equal status vis-à-vis Serbia, and the party platform still called for greater Croatian autonomy and eventually independence. With that goal in mind, the HSS renamed itself the Croatian Republican Peasant Party until the royal authorities forced the party to remove the word "Republican" in 1925 because of its anti-royalist connotation.
In the early 1920s the Yugoslav government of prime minister Nikola Pašić
used political and police pressure over voters and ethnic minorities, confiscation of opposition pamphlets and other measures of election rigging to keep the opposition, mainly the Croatian Peasant Party and its allies, in minority in Yugoslav parliament. Pasic believed that Yugoslavia should be as centralized as possible, creating in place of distinct regional governments and identities a Greater Serbia
n national concept of concentrated power in the hands of Belgrade.
As the opposition, the party's strategy was to boycott parliamentary sessions which not only allowed Serb politicians to further consolidate power, it also created political instability and hostility. On June 20, 1928, Puniša Račić
, a Serbian ultra-nationalist, was offended by a comment made by HSS deputies during a parliamentary session, shot and mortally wounded Radić and several other HSS deputies on the chamber floor. King Alexander subsequently proclaimed a royal dictatorship
on January 6, 1929. Soon after the country was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
and all political parties were banned.
Some political freedoms were restored in 1931 and the HSS, led by Vladko Maček
, once again was in opposition. Maček showed great organisational abilities and political skill, which resulted in HSS gathering support from all classes of Croatian people, as well from followers of almost any ideology. HSS also became umbrella for almost all opposition party in Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Although HSS-led coalition lost 1938 elections, it remained force to be reckoned with and in August 1939 Cvetković
-Maček agreement led to creation of semi-autonomous Banovina of Croatia
under HSS rule. At the same time, HSS returned to royal government. Ivan Šubašić
of the HSS became head of the Banovina as ban.
and the German
invasion in April 1941. Some party members were divided among those who sympathized with the Croatian fascist Ustasha independence movement, and those whose left-leaning beliefs led them to join the Partisans
. But the vast majority of HSS supporters remained passive and neutral for the duration of the war as the Ustasha, the communist Partisans and the royalist Chetniks
fought for control.
After the communist victory, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia established one-party rule — the HSS, along with other political parties were declared illegal. In 1947, HSS joined the International Peasants' Union. Maček represented the HSS in exile until his death in 1964. Juraj Krnjević
took over as leader until his own death 1988, only a year before the HSS could resume its work within Croatia.
won several seats in the Croatian Parliament. They remained in opposition until the 2000 elections
when they received three ministerial portfolios as part of their participation in the winning Social Democratic Party of Croatia
-led coalition.
On elections 2000 HSS led center coalition alongside with IDS-HNS-LS and Coalition won 25 seats in parliament with 16 seats for HSS.
After the elections HSS formed coalition with SDP and had tree ministers in government and President of Croatian Parliament.
On local elections 2001. HSS achieved its best results ever and won 8 out of 21 county prefects (zupan) and lot of municipalities and towns and became party which was second in number of local elected officials.
Today, the HSS considers itself among other left-wing European political parties that advocate pro-agrarian policies and greater economic interventionism
by the state. On social matters the HSS is largely conservative, supporting a Christian-based morality in public life. HSS is an associate member of the European People's Party
(EPP).
At the elections in November 2003
, the party won 7.2 % of the popular vote and 10 out of 151 seats (nine domestic seats and one minority seat).
Before the 2007 parliamentary elections
, HSS announced a coalition with opposition parties Alliance of Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Croatian Social Liberal Party
. The coalition received 6.5 % of the popular vote and 8 out of 153 seats (six for HSS itself). After elections they became part of Ivo Sanader
's governing coalition and received two ministerial portfolios (agriculture and tourism).
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
and socially conservative political party in Croatia.
Austria-Hungary
The Croatian People's Peasant Party (Hrvatska pučka seljačka stranka) was formed on December 22, 1904 by Antun Radić along with his brother Stjepan RadićStjepan Radic
Stjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
. The party contested elections for the first time in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia or Croatia Slavonia was an autonomous kingdom within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was part of the Hungarian Kingdom within the dual Austro-Hungarian state, being within the Lands of the Crown of St. Stephen or Transleithania...
in 1906 winning no seats. The party posted gains in subsequent elections. In 1908
Croatian parliamentary election, 1908
Croatian parliamentary elections were held on February 27 and 28, 1908. The elections were called early under ban Pavao Rauch.-Results:...
the party won two seats, and in 1910
Croatian parliamentary election, 1910
Croatian parliamentary elections were held on October 28, 1910. The elections were called by ban Nikola Tomašić after the adoption of a new Law of the Electoral Order of the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia.-Results:-References:...
and 1911 nine seats. While Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
was still under the rule of Budapest
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
and Vienna, the HSS sought for greater autonomy, peasants' rights and land reform.
First Yugoslavia
After World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the HSS garnered significant popular and electoral support for its advocacy of an independent Croatian state, and its opposition to the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which actually meant joining together the State of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes with the Kingdom of Serbia) which the party claimed would be dominated by Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Despite the party's efforts, the kingdom was established, and the HSS became an opposition party in parliament. Although popular among its constituency, the party's weakness was its limited national appeal and its ethnic and economic-based constituency.
The HSS advocated a federal state in which Croatia would be afforded equal status vis-à-vis Serbia, and the party platform still called for greater Croatian autonomy and eventually independence. With that goal in mind, the HSS renamed itself the Croatian Republican Peasant Party until the royal authorities forced the party to remove the word "Republican" in 1925 because of its anti-royalist connotation.
In the early 1920s the Yugoslav government of prime minister Nikola Pašić
Nikola Pašic
Nikola P. Pašić was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat, the most important Serbian political figure for almost 40 years, leader of the People's Radical Party who, among other posts, was twice a mayor of Belgrade...
used political and police pressure over voters and ethnic minorities, confiscation of opposition pamphlets and other measures of election rigging to keep the opposition, mainly the Croatian Peasant Party and its allies, in minority in Yugoslav parliament. Pasic believed that Yugoslavia should be as centralized as possible, creating in place of distinct regional governments and identities a Greater Serbia
Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia applies to the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology directed towards the creation of a Serbian land which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to the Serbian nation...
n national concept of concentrated power in the hands of Belgrade.
As the opposition, the party's strategy was to boycott parliamentary sessions which not only allowed Serb politicians to further consolidate power, it also created political instability and hostility. On June 20, 1928, Puniša Račić
Puniša Racic
Puniša Račić was a Montenegrin Serb politician, a member of the Yugoslav Parliament from the People's Radical Party, who assassinated Pavle Radić and Đuro Basariček, Croatian Peasant Party representatives, mortally wounded Stjepan Radić, leader of Croatian Peasant Party at the time and wounded...
, a Serbian ultra-nationalist, was offended by a comment made by HSS deputies during a parliamentary session, shot and mortally wounded Radić and several other HSS deputies on the chamber floor. King Alexander subsequently proclaimed a royal dictatorship
January 6th Dictatorship
The January 6th Dictatorship was a royal dictatorship established in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes by King Alexander...
on January 6, 1929. Soon after the country was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
and all political parties were banned.
Some political freedoms were restored in 1931 and the HSS, led by Vladko Maček
Vladko Macek
Vladko Maček was a Croatian politician active within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the first half of the 20th century. He led the Croatian Peasant Party following the assassination of Stjepan Radić, and all through World War II.- Early life :Maček was born to a Slovene-Czech family in the village...
, once again was in opposition. Maček showed great organisational abilities and political skill, which resulted in HSS gathering support from all classes of Croatian people, as well from followers of almost any ideology. HSS also became umbrella for almost all opposition party in Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Although HSS-led coalition lost 1938 elections, it remained force to be reckoned with and in August 1939 Cvetković
Dragiša Cvetkovic
Dragiša Cvetković was a Yugoslav politician.He served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1941. He developed the federalization of Yugoslavia through the creation of the Banovina of Croatia by an agreement with Croatian leader Vladko Maček...
-Maček agreement led to creation of semi-autonomous Banovina of Croatia
Banovina of Croatia
The Banovina of Croatia or Banate of Croatia was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1939 and 1943 . Its capital was at Zagreb and it included most of present-day Croatia along with portions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia...
under HSS rule. At the same time, HSS returned to royal government. Ivan Šubašić
Ivan Šubašic
Ivan Šubašić was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, best known as the last Ban of Banovina of Croatia.He was born in Vukova Gorica, then in Austria-Hungary. He finished grammar and high school in Zagreb, and enrolled onto the Faculty of Theology at the University of Zagreb...
of the HSS became head of the Banovina as ban.
World War II and afterwards
The party's fortunes declined precipitously with the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invasion in April 1941. Some party members were divided among those who sympathized with the Croatian fascist Ustasha independence movement, and those whose left-leaning beliefs led them to join the Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
. But the vast majority of HSS supporters remained passive and neutral for the duration of the war as the Ustasha, the communist Partisans and the royalist Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
fought for control.
After the communist victory, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia established one-party rule — the HSS, along with other political parties were declared illegal. In 1947, HSS joined the International Peasants' Union. Maček represented the HSS in exile until his death in 1964. Juraj Krnjević
Juraj Krnjevic
Juraj Krnjević was a Croatian politician who was among the leaders of the Croatian Peasant Party . He was the party's General Secretary since 1928 and President since 1964...
took over as leader until his own death 1988, only a year before the HSS could resume its work within Croatia.
Modern party
With the advent of multi-party system in 1990, the HSS was reconstituted and on the 1990 electionCroatian parliamentary election, 1990
Parliamentary elections were held in Croatia on 22 April 1990, with a second round of voting on 6 May. The first free elections since multi-party politics were introduced, they resulted in a victory for the Croatian Democratic Union, which won 55 of the 80 seats...
won several seats in the Croatian Parliament. They remained in opposition until the 2000 elections
Croatian parliamentary election, 2000
Elections for the Chamber of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament were held on January 3, 2000. These were the first elections to be held after the expiration of a full term of the previous Chamber....
when they received three ministerial portfolios as part of their participation in the winning Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
-led coalition.
On elections 2000 HSS led center coalition alongside with IDS-HNS-LS and Coalition won 25 seats in parliament with 16 seats for HSS.
After the elections HSS formed coalition with SDP and had tree ministers in government and President of Croatian Parliament.
On local elections 2001. HSS achieved its best results ever and won 8 out of 21 county prefects (zupan) and lot of municipalities and towns and became party which was second in number of local elected officials.
Today, the HSS considers itself among other left-wing European political parties that advocate pro-agrarian policies and greater economic interventionism
Economic interventionism
Economic interventionism is an action taken by a government in a market economy or market-oriented mixed economy, beyond the basic regulation of fraud and enforcement of contracts, in an effort to affect its own economy...
by the state. On social matters the HSS is largely conservative, supporting a Christian-based morality in public life. HSS is an associate member of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP).
At the elections in November 2003
Croatian parliamentary election, 2003
-External links:*...
, the party won 7.2 % of the popular vote and 10 out of 151 seats (nine domestic seats and one minority seat).
Before the 2007 parliamentary elections
Croatian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections to the Croatian Parliament were held on 25 November 2007 in Croatia and on 24 November and 25 November 2007 abroad. The campaign officially started on 3 November...
, HSS announced a coalition with opposition parties Alliance of Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Croatian Social Liberal Party
Croatian Social Liberal Party
Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS is a conservative liberal political party in Croatia. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. Its current president is Darinko Kosor, elected to that post in November 2009.-Chronology:The HSLS was...
. The coalition received 6.5 % of the popular vote and 8 out of 153 seats (six for HSS itself). After elections they became part of Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
's governing coalition and received two ministerial portfolios (agriculture and tourism).
Party presidents
- Stjepan RadićStjepan RadicStjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
(1904–1928) - Vladko MačekVladko MacekVladko Maček was a Croatian politician active within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the first half of the 20th century. He led the Croatian Peasant Party following the assassination of Stjepan Radić, and all through World War II.- Early life :Maček was born to a Slovene-Czech family in the village...
(1928–1964) - Juraj KrnjevićJuraj KrnjevicJuraj Krnjević was a Croatian politician who was among the leaders of the Croatian Peasant Party . He was the party's General Secretary since 1928 and President since 1964...
(1964–1988) - Drago Stipac (1991–1994)
- Zlatko TomčićZlatko TomcicZlatko Tomčić is a Croatian politician, former leader of the Croatian Peasant Party and a representative in the Croatian Parliament.-Political background:...
(1994–2005) - Josip FriščićJosip FrišcicJosip Friščić is a Croatian politician and current leader of the Croatian Peasant Party .Friščić joined the party in 1992 and subsequently established many local branches.-References:...
(2005–present)
Honorary presidents
- Josip Torbar
- Stjepan Radić
- Neda Prpić-Gamiršek