“On the Road to Freedom. Croatian National Resistance to the Yugoslav Communist Regime (1945―1966).” (Na putu do slobode. Hrvatski nacionalni otpor jugoslavenskom komunističkom režimu (1945.―1966.), nova je knjiga hrvatskog povjesničara i suradnika Fenix-magazina, Wollfya Krašića
Dok su nacije u zapadnoj Europi s olakšanjem i radošću dočekale svibanj 1945. godine i propast nacizma i fašizma, niz onih u srednjoj, istočnoj i jugoistočnoj Europi pao je pod drugo i kako će se pokazati – mnogo dugotrajnije ropstvo – komunizam. Situacija je još teža bila za one koje su se našle u višenacionalnim državama u kojima su njihovi nacionalni identiteti sustavno bili potiskivani, a pripadnici marginalizirani. Štoviše, neki, poput Hrvata, iskusili su pod krinkom borbe protiv fašizma te „narodnog neprijatelja“ i masovno biološko istrebljivanje od strane Komunističke partije Jugoslavije tijekom Drugog svjetskog rata, a onda i novouspostavljenog jugoslavenskoga komunističkog režima. Stoga, Hrvati u svibnju 1945. godine nisu dočekali slobodu i pravdu, nego jedan od najcrnjih trenutaka u svojoj višestoljetnoj povijesti, što je nagnalo mnoge od njih da se organizirano suprotstavljaju ili pokušaju suprotstaviti daleko nadmoćnijem i okrutnom neprijatelju.
O dijelu te borbe govori upravo objavljena knjiga na engleskome jeziku ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM. Croatian National Resistance to the Yugoslav Communist Regime (1945―1966). Chicago: CroLibertas, 2023. Konkretnije, knjiga opisuje i analizira djelovanje nekoliko desetaka hrvatskih državotvornih organizacija i skupina koje su djelovale na području Hrvatske od završetka Drugog svjetskog rata do sredine 1960-ih godina.
Pri tome valja naglasiti da su u raznim oblicima organiziranog otpora jugoslavenskome komunističkom režimu na tlu Hrvatske sudjelovali Hrvati i iz ostalih dijelova hrvatskog povijesnog i etničkog teritorija – ponajprije Bosne i Hercegovine, ali i dijelova Crne Gore te Vojvodine. Uz spomenuto, knjiga objašnjava razloge i načine progona i osoba hrvatske nacionalnosti koje nisu razvile konkretnu antirežimsku djelatnost, ali ih je režim smatrao potencijalnom opasnošću, prvenstveno zbog želje da njeguju i iskazuju elemente hrvatskog nacionalnog identiteta. Među takvima, na meti komunističkih vlasti posebno su bili zagrebački studenti podrijetlom iz Hercegovine i Dalmatinske zagore.
Istraživanje predstavljeno u knjizi sugerira da su različiti oblici otpora u spomenutome razdoblju postojali diljem Hrvatske, da su u njemu sudjelovale osobe iz različitih društvenih slojeva te da su mlade hrvatske generacije, odgojene ili rođene u jugoslavenskom komunističkom sustavu, postepeno preuzele teret borbe za slobodu i neovisnost. Uz to, u knjizi se nedvojbeno dokazuje kako su borci za neovisnu hrvatsku državu koji su promišljali o njenom budućem ustroju potonju zamišljali isključivo kao demokratsku te socijalno pravednu. Ova knjiga prilog je i povijesti hrvatske političke emigracije, budući da govori i o osobama koje su pred progonom morale napustiti domovinu i nastavile s političkim radom u inozemstvu, od kojih su neki stradali u atentatima jugoslavenskih obavještajnih službi.
Autor knjige je povjesničar s Odsjeka za demografiju i hrvatsko iseljeništvo Fakulteta hrvatskih studija Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, doc. dr. sc. Wollfy Krašić. Objavila ju je izdavačka kuća CroLibertas Publishers iz Chicaga (Illinois, Sjedinjene Američke Države).
Recenzenti knjige su dr. sc. Josip Mihaljević s Hrvatskog instituta za povijest te dr. sc. Ante Čuvalo, višedesetljetni javni djelatnik među hrvatskim iseljenicima i umirovljeni sveučilišni profesor povijesti. Knjiga ima 217 stranica, napisana je na temelju dokumenata jugoslavenskih represivnih službi, objavljenih sjećanja nekadašnjih političkih zatvorenika i intervjua autora s potonjima, a opremljena je nizom raznovrsnih grafičkih priloga. Također, knjiga sadrži veći broj bilježaka koje čitatelju koji ne poznaje hrvatsku povijest olakšavaju razumijevanje teme.
Knjigu možete naručiti na e-mail adresi: roadtofreedom1945@gmail.com
Cijene: Hrvatska – 17 eura s poštarinom; sve druge države 30 eura ili 33 US dolara s poštarinom. Uplatu napravite preko PayPal na CroLibertas Publishers crolibertas.publishers@gmail.com
Cijeli tekst objavljujemo i na engleskom jeziku:
Wollfy Krašić. ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM. Croatian National Resistance to the Yugoslav Communist Regime (1945―1966). Chicago: CroLibertas, 2023.
While nations in Western Europe welcomed with relief and joy the fall of Nazism and Fascism in May 1945, a number of them in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe fell under another slavery ― Communism ― which turned out to be longer lasting. The situation was even more difficult for those who found themselves in multi-national states where their national identities were systematically suppressed, and their members were marginalized. Moreover, some, like the Croats, experienced mass biological extermination by the Yugoslav Communist Party during the Second World War, and then by the newly established Yugoslav communist regime, under the guise of fighting Fascism and the “enemy of the people.” Therefore, in May 1945, the Croats did not find freedom and justice, but experienced one of the darkest moments in their centuries-long history, which prompted many of them to oppose or try to oppose a far superior and cruel enemy.
The activities of those involved in that struggle are presented in the just-published book: ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM. Croatian National Resistance to the Yugoslav Communist Regime (1945-1966). More specifically, the book describes and analyzes the activities of several dozen Croatian state-building organizations and groups that operated in Croatia from the end of World War II to the mid-1960s. It should be emphasized that Croats from other areas of Croatian historical and ethnic territory, primarily those from Bosnia and Herzegovina but also from parts of Montenegro and Vojvodina, also participated in various forms of organized resistance to the Yugoslav Communist Regime on Croatian soil. In addition to the aforementioned, the book also explains the reasons and methods of persecution of Croatians who, although not involved in specific anti-regime activities, were seen as a potential danger by the regime especially because they wanted to nurture and express their Croatian national identity. Among those people, the main target of the communist authorities were Zagreb students that came from the regions of Herzegovina and Dalmatian Zagora.
The research presented in this book suggests that different forms of resistance existed throughout Croatia in the mentioned period and that people from different social strata participated in it. Also, the younger Croatian generations, who were brought up or born during the Yugoslav communist rule, gradually took on the burden of the struggle for freedom and independence. In addition, the book unequivocally proves that the fighters for an independent Croatian state who thought about its future political system imagined their country exclusively as democratic and socially just. This book is also a contribution to the history of Croatian political emigration, since it talks about people who had to leave their homeland in the face of persecution and continued their political work abroad, some of whom were assassinated by the Yugoslav intelligence services.
The author of the book is Wollfy Krašić, Ph.D., Associate professor of history at the Department of Demography and Croatian Emigration, Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb. It was published by CroLibertas Publishers from Chicago, Illinois, USA. The reviewers of the book are Josip Mihaljević, Ph.D., from the Croatian Institute of History and Ante Čuvalo, Ph.D., a well-known public figure among the Croatian emigrants for many decades and a retired university professor of history. The book has 217 pages. It was written on the basis of documents from the Yugoslav repressive secret police, the published memoirs of former political prisoners, and the author’s interviews with the latter. It is illustrated with a number of specific graphic attachments. Also, the book contains a large number of footnotes that make it easier for the reader who is not familiar with Croatian history to understand this topic.
You can order the book at the e-mail address: roadtofreedom1945@gmail.com
Prices: Croatia – 17 euros, includes shipping; all other countries 30 euros or 33 US dollars, includes shipping. Make payment via PayPal to CroLibertas Publishers crolibertas.publishers@gmail.com
ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM. Croatian National Resistance to the Yugoslav Communist Regime (1945-1966).
From the Foreword by Ante Čuvalo
„Krašić’s book is very valuable for three main reasons. First, because it shows the continuity of the Croatian struggle for freedom, even in the worst of times. Second, because the author focuses on concrete victims — real people — and for him, they are not some accidents of history. Third, this book, based on the extensively researched materials found in the archives of the Yugoslav secret police (presently located at the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb), brings ample evidence to the fact that the Croatian travelers on the road to freedom from 1945 to 1966 were idealists willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a greater good, and they deserve a respectful place in the national historiography. For all of the above, this book deserves to be read and studied at the university level.”
Fenix-magazin/MD/Ante Čuvalo
