The Party of Rights ( hr, Stranka prava) was a
Croatian nationalist
Croatian nationalism is nationalism that asserts the nationality of Croats and promotes the cultural unity of Croats.
Modern Croatian nationalism first arose in the 19th century after Budapest exerted increasing pressure for Magyarization of Cro ...
political party in
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia ( hr, Kraljevina Hrvatska i Slavonija; hu, Horvát-Szlavónország or ; de-AT, Königreich Kroatien und Slawonien) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation with ...
and later in
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
.
It was founded in 1861 by
Ante Starčević
Ante Starčević (; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of his people to self-determination. As an important memb ...
and
Eugen Kvaternik
Eugen Kvaternik (31 October 1825 – 11 October 1871) was a Croatian nationalist politician and one of the founders of the Party of Rights, alongside Ante Starčević. Kvaternik was the leader of the 1871 Rakovica Revolt which was an attempt ...
, two influential nationalist politicians who advocated for greater Croatian autonomy and later for the independence of the Croatian state. Moderate and hardline nationalist factions existed during the period and after Starčević's death, the party would embrace
anti-Serb
Anti-Serb sentiment or Serbophobia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, србофобија, srbofobija, separator=" / ") is a generally negative view of Serbs as an ethnic group. Historically it has been a basis for the persecution of ethnic Serbs.
A distinctiv ...
, anti-Yugoslav and
Republicanist leadership. In 1929, the party was dissolved after the proclamation of the
6 January Dictatorship
The 6 January Dictatorship ( sr-cyr, Шестојануарска диктатура, Šestojanuarska diktatura; hr, Šestosiječanjska diktatura; sl, Šestojanuarska diktatura) was a royal dictatorship established in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croa ...
and soon after, some members joined the underground organization
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
which was led by
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
. After the
dissolution of Yugoslavia
The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
, numerous Croatian and
Bosnian Croat
The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats () are the third most populous ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnic group in the country after Bosniaks and Serbs of Bosnia and H ...
political parties claim the lineage from the party itself.
Kingdom of Croatia
![Three Starčevićs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Three_Star%C4%8Devi%C4%87s.jpg)
The Party of Rights was founded on 26 June 1861 when
Ante Starčević
Ante Starčević (; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of his people to self-determination. As an important memb ...
and
Eugen Kvaternik
Eugen Kvaternik (31 October 1825 – 11 October 1871) was a Croatian nationalist politician and one of the founders of the Party of Rights, alongside Ante Starčević. Kvaternik was the leader of the 1871 Rakovica Revolt which was an attempt ...
first presented the policies of the "Party of Rights" to the
Croatian Parliament
The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...
. They called for greater Croatian autonomy and self-rule at a time when Croatia was divided into several crownlands within the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
Monarchy.
In early October 1871, Kvaternik and several other party members disavowed the official party position, which advocated a political solution, and instead launched the
Rakovica revolt
The Rakovica revolt ( hr, Rakovička buna) was an armed uprising in 1871 led by Croatian politician Eugen Kvaternik against authorities of Austria-Hungary, with the aim of establishing an independent Croatian state at the time when it was part of ...
. The rebels declared the following aims:
* freedom of the Croatian people from Austrian and Magyar (Hungarian) oppression
* proclamation of an independent Croatia
* equality under law
* municipal self-government
* abolition of the
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and l ...
and introduction of free counties
* respect for both religions in love and unity
The rebels also sought to encourage participation of Orthodox Serbs in the revolt, and some of them did, but the uprising was soon crushed by the authorities. Most of the rebels were killed, including Kvaternik.
The party ran in the
1883 Croatian parliamentary by-election By-elections for the Croatian Military Frontier districts that had been incorporated into the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia in 1881 were held over three days between 19 and 21 April 1883.
Results
Elected representatives
References
*
{{Croatian ...
and the
1884 Croatian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia on September 16–19, 1884. The People's Party emerged as the victor.
According to the 1881 electoral law, the franchise was limited to males over 24 years of age who paid at lea ...
. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the party underwent various changes in membership and policy, as different factions splintered and reconciled over time.
These factions often clashed over who best represented Croatian state rights.
During the
1895 visit of Emperor Franz Joseph to Zagreb
On the initiative of Croatian ban Károly Khuen-Héderváry, in mid-October 1895 Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph visited Zagreb, at the time the capital of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, in order to attend the opening of the Croatian Natio ...
, a flag-burning incident happened, that was disavowed by the party leader Fran Folnegović. However,
Ante Starčević
Ante Starčević (; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of his people to self-determination. As an important memb ...
disagreed, and he and his followers, notably
Eugen Kumičić
Eugen Kumičić (11 January 1850 – 13 May 1904) was a prominent Croatian writer and politician. Kumičić was one of the most prolific Croatian novelists of the realism era and a pioneer of naturalism in Croatian literature.
Biography
Kumi ...
and
Josip Frank
Josip Frank (16 April 1844 – 17 December 1911) was a Croatian lawyer and politician, a noted representative of the Party of Rights in the Croatian Parliament, and a vocal advocate of Croatian national independence in Austria-Hungary.
Early li ...
(a Jewish convert to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
), formed the first Pure Party of Rights ( hr, Čista stranka prava). Starčević died in 1896, and was succeeded by
Josip Frank
Josip Frank (16 April 1844 – 17 December 1911) was a Croatian lawyer and politician, a noted representative of the Party of Rights in the Croatian Parliament, and a vocal advocate of Croatian national independence in Austria-Hungary.
Early li ...
under whose leadership the party became fixated on
anti-Serb sentiment
Anti-Serb sentiment or Serbophobia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, србофобија, srbofobija, separator=" / ") is a generally negative view of Serbs as an ethnic group. Historically it has been a basis for the persecution of ethnic Serbs.
A distinctiv ...
.
In the
1897 Croatian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia from 19 to 22 May 1897. The People's Party emerged as the victor.
Background
The 1897 elections were held during the autocratic rule of Croatian ban Károly Khuen-Héderváry. H ...
, both parties ran. In 1902, the two Parties reconciled; however, in 1905 the leadership of the party, led by
Frano Supilo
Frano Supilo (30 November 1870 – 25 September 1917) was a Croatian politician and journalist. He opposed the Austro-Hungarian domination of Europe prior to World War I. He participated in the debates leading to the formation of Yugoslavia as ...
, merged into the
Croat-Serb Coalition
The Croat-Serb Coalition ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hrvatsko-srpska koalicija, separator=/, Хрватско-српска коалиција) was a major political alliance in Austria-Hungary during early 20th century that governed the Croatian lands, the c ...
, and the Pure Party of Rights was formed once again. Starčević's Party of Rights participated in the
1908 Croatian parliamentary election. The next year, in 1909, the Pure Party of Rights itself splintered, as
Mile Starčević,
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
and others accused Frank of consorting with
Pavao Rauch
Baron Pavao Rauch de Nyék (20 February 1865 – 29 November 1933) was a Croatian politician who served as Ban (viceroy) of Croatia-Slavonia between 1908 and 1910.
Life
Born in Zagreb, he was the son of Baron Levin Rauch de Nyék, Ban (vicer ...
. The dissidents formed Starčević's Party of Rights. Both the Starčević and the Frank Party of Rights participated in the
1910 Croatian parliamentary election. In 1911, Frank died, and the two factions merged into the latter. In 1913, the Pure Party of Rights was formed by old supporters of Frank, this time led by . Both Parties participated in the
1913 Croatian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia on 16 and 17 December 1913. There were 209,618 eligible male voters. According to the census of December 31, 1910, the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia had a population of 2,621,954.
...
.
Kingdom of Dalmatia
The Party of Rights also operated in
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
, which was separated from Croatia and Slavonia at the time. They participated in the Dalmatian elections in
1895
Events
January–March
* January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
* January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...
,
1901
Events
January
* January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...
and
1908
Events
January
* January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica.
* January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...
.
After World War I
![Aleksandar Horvat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Aleksandar_Horvat.jpg)
The Croatian Party of Rights welcomed the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in the wake of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
as a means toward achieving Croatian independence, through the creation of the
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( sh, Država Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba / ; sl, Država Slovencev, Hrvatov in Srbov) was a political entity that was constituted in October 1918, at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( ...
. In October 1918, Party of Rights announced their dismissal. However, just one month later, party's activity was renewed when the Business Committee of the Party held a session on 28 November 1918, announcing the renewal of party's activity and their goal to save national and state individuality. When the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs proclaimed its unification with
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...
on 1 December 1918, Party of Rights organized a protest. On 1 March 1919, the same day the
Temporary National Representation
The Temporary National Representation ( sh, Privremeno narodno predstavništvo), also the Provisional Representation, was the first parliamentary body formed in the newly proclaimed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It convened on March 1, 191 ...
met without them present, the Party of Rights changed its name to Croatian Party of Rights.
In their program from March 1919, members of the party made a plea for Croatian independence based on the right to self-determination of all peoples. In this program, the Party of Rights emphasized their
republicanism
Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
as opposed to the
monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
of
House of Karađorđević
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
, whose rule was accepted by all Croatian politicians, except
Stjepan Radić
Stjepan Radić (11 June 1871 – 8 August 1928) was a Croat politician and founder of the Croatian People's Peasant Party (HPSS), active in Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
He is credited with galvanizing Cro ...
's
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
. Their main goal were the ideas of
Ante Starčević
Ante Starčević (; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of his people to self-determination. As an important memb ...
for an independent Croatian state, and the "Croatian State Right" () was their main argument for achieving this goal. According to the concept of the "Croatian State Right", they expressed a need for unification of all Croat lands, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program was signed by President of the Party of Rights, dr.
Vladimir Prebeg
Vladimir may refer to:
Names
* Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name
* Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name
* Volodymyr for the Ukr ...
and Secretary of the Party,
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
.
A unified Party of Rights participated in the
. The Croatian politics at the time started to be dominated by the
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
, but in 1921, the Croatian parties started to form the
Croatian National Representation (Croatian Bloc) that included the Party of Rights.
Stjepan Radić
Stjepan Radić (11 June 1871 – 8 August 1928) was a Croat politician and founder of the Croatian People's Peasant Party (HPSS), active in Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
He is credited with galvanizing Cro ...
and other coalition leaders ejected the Party of Rights from the coalition by the end of 1922.
The Party of Rights ran standalone in the
1923 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes parliamentary election. It did not enter the
1925 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes parliamentary election, but did join the Bloc again the same year. The Party of Rights cooperated with
Stjepan Radić
Stjepan Radić (11 June 1871 – 8 August 1928) was a Croat politician and founder of the Croatian People's Peasant Party (HPSS), active in Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
He is credited with galvanizing Cro ...
as part of the Croatian Bloc, composed of the
Croatian Republican Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party ( hr, Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) is an agrarian political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The Brothers Radić believed that t ...
, Croatian Union and the Party of Rights.
The Party of Rights alone was unable to influence the majority of Croats, as their main supporters were a small number of middle class citizens, the majority of whom lived in Zagreb, while Stjepan Radić dominated among Croats elsewhere. Within this bloc, Party of Rights opposed Serbian nationalist hegemony and centralism. Sometimes they objected to Radić's readiness to come to an understanding with the Serbian side. The main vehicle of the Party of Rights was the concept of the Croatian Right (), which made the idea of
Yugoslavism
Yugoslavism, Yugoslavdom, or Yugoslav nationalism is an ideology supporting the notion that the South Slavs, namely the Bosniaks, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs and Slovenes, but also Bulgarians, belong to a single Yugoslav nation ...
unsustainable, assessing it as misconception and the main obstacle to Croatian independence.
Nevertheless, the leaders of the Party of Rights had established contacts with the
People's Radical Party
The People's Radical Party ( sr, Народна радикална странка, Narodna radikalna stranka, abbr. НРС or NRS) was the dominant ruling party of Kingdom of Serbia and later Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from the la ...
in Belgrade and occasionally fought for their own particular interests. In 1924–25, this controversial relationship became public, particularly as the party's then-vice-president
Mirko Košutić publicly accused the rest of the party leadership of colluding with the government of
Nikola Pašić
Nikola Pašić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Пашић, ; 18 December 1845 – 10 December 1926) was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat who was a leading political figure for almost 40 years. He was the leader of the People's Radical P ...
against the interests of the Croatian Bloc.
In 1929, the king of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
instituted the
January 6th Dictatorship
The 6 January Dictatorship ( sr-cyr, Шестојануарска диктатура, Šestojanuarska diktatura; hr, Šestosiječanjska diktatura; sl, Šestojanuarska diktatura) was a royal dictatorship established in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croa ...
. He banned all political parties, and the militant wing of the Party of Rights went underground to organize the
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian Fascism, fascist and ultranationalism, ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaš ...
movement, led by former party secretary
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
, whose wing of the party was the most staunchly
anti-Serb
Anti-Serb sentiment or Serbophobia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, србофобија, srbofobija, separator=" / ") is a generally negative view of Serbs as an ethnic group. Historically it has been a basis for the persecution of ethnic Serbs.
A distinctiv ...
.
Legacy
The eponymous
Croatian Party of Rights
The Croatian Party of Rights ( hr, Hrvatska stranka prava or HSP) is an extra-parliamentary nationalist political party in Croatia. The "right(s)" in the party's name refer to the legal and moral reasons that justify the independence and autonom ...
, founded in 1990, claims lineage from the original Party of Rights. Since 1990, several splinter parties have been founded that claim the same:
*
Croatian Pure Party of Rights
Croatian Pure Party of Rights ( hr, Hrvatska čista stranka prava or HČSP) is a far-right political party in Croatia founded in 1992. The party claims to be an ideological descendant of the identically named right-wing Anti-Serb sentiment, Serb ...
,
*
Croatian Party of Rights 1861
Croatian Party of Rights 1861 ( hr, Hrvatska stranka prava 1861 or HSP 1861) is a political party in Croatia.
It was founded in 1995 as a splinter party of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP, itself founded in 1990) following the removal of Croat ...
,
*
Autochthonous Croatian Party of Rights
The Authentic Croatian Party of Rights ( hr, Autohtona-Hrvatska stranka prava or A-HSP) is a far right, and social conservative political party founded in Koprivnica, in 2005, after the merging of Croatian Rightists and Croatian Right Movement. ...
,
*
Croatian Party of Rights Dr. Ante Starčević
Croatian may refer to:
*Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, ...
,
*
Croatian Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Croatian Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( hr, Hrvatska stranka prava Bosne i Hercegovine or HSP BiH) is an extra-parliamentary party in Bosnia and Herzegovina that represents the ideology of Ante Starčević. The main goals of the ...
,
*
Party of Croatian Right,
*
Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1861 {{Infobox political party
, name = Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1861
, native_name = Bosanskohercegovačka stranka prava 1861
, president = Vlado Musa
, ideology = Croatian nationalism ConservativismEuroscepticism
, ...
References
;Bibliography
*
{{KoY parties
Political parties established in 1861
Political parties disestablished in 1929
Political parties in Austria-Hungary
Defunct political parties in Croatia
Political parties in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Anti-Serbian sentiment
1861 establishments in the Austrian Empire
Ethnic organizations based in Austria-Hungary
Croat political organizations
Ethnic organizations based in Yugoslavia
Right-wing parties in Europe
Croatian nationalist parties
Yugoslav Croatia
Croatian irredentism