Josip Manolić
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Josip "Joža" Manolić (; 22 March 1920 – 15 April 2024) was a Croatian politician and
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
revolutionary during
World War II in Yugoslavia World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was Invasion of Yugoslavia, invaded and swiftly conquered by Axis powers, Axis forces and partitioned among Nazi Germany, Germany, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), It ...
. He served as a high-ranking official of the Yugoslav
State Security Administration The State Security Service, also known by its original name as the Directorate for State Security, was the secret police organization of Communist Yugoslavia. It was at all times best known by the acronym UDBA, which is derived from the organiz ...
(OZNA or UDBA) and later as
Prime Minister of Croatia The prime minister of Croatia, officially the president of the government of the Republic of Croatia (), is Croatia's head of government, and is ''de facto'' the most powerful and influential state officeholder in the Croatian system of governme ...
, from 24 August 1990 to 17 July 1991. He was the last prime minister of Croatia as a
constituent republic Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
of
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, as the country formally declared its independence during his term, on 25 June 1991. Following his brief term as prime minister, Manolić served as the first Speaker of the Chamber of Counties, the then
upper house An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
of the
Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...
, from 1993 until 1994.


Youth and World War II

Manolić was born on 22 March 1920 in
Kalinovac Kalinovac is a municipality in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. In the 2011 census, there were a total of 1,597 inhabitants in the area, in the following settlements: * Batinske, population 98 * Kalinovac, population 1,463 * Molvice, ...
near
Đurđevac Đurđevac is a town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. History Until 1918, Đurđevac (named ''Militär Sanct Georgen'' before 1850) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after the compromise of 1867), in ...
to a well-to-do working-class family as the youngest of four children. When he was eight, his family moved to Orlovac near
Nova Rača Nova Rača (historically ''Racha'' and ''Ratcha,'' old Hungarian language, Hungarian name ''Racsa'' ), often shortened as just Rača, is a settlement and municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. Demographics According to the 2021 census, ...
. He graduated from the secondary Craft School in
Bjelovar Bjelovar (, , Czech language, Czech: ''Bělovar'' or ''Bělovár,'' Kajkavian dialect, Kajkavian: ''Belovar,'' Latin: ''Bellovarium'') is a city in central Croatia. In the Demographics of Croatia, 2021 census, its population was 36,316 . It is ...
, where he studied to be a shoemaker. When he was 18, he joined the
League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia The League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ) was the youth movement, member organisation of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ). Membership stood at more than 3.6 million individuals in 1983. It was originally est ...
(SKOJ). He was vice president of the Association of Workers' Unions (URS) for the tanning industry. He was accepted into the
Communist Party of Croatia League of Communists of Croatia (, SKH) was the Croatian branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ). It came into power in 1945. Until 1952, it was known as Communist Party of Croatia (, KPH). The party dissolved in 1990. History ...
when he was 19. In 1940 he was appointed Secretary of the Municipal Committee of SKOJ for
Nova Gradiška Nova Gradiška is a town located in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, population 14,229 (2011). It is located in the historic region of Slavonia, near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first word in the name means ''New'', and there' ...
and was named a member of the Regional Committee of the Communist Party. After the outbreak of the
World War II in Yugoslavia World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was Invasion of Yugoslavia, invaded and swiftly conquered by Axis powers, Axis forces and partitioned among Nazi Germany, Germany, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), It ...
, Manolić was involved in illegal party activity in Nova Gradiška. He was arrested by the
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...
authorities in May 1941, along with twelve members of the Communist Party and SKOJ, for multiplying and sharing the Communist Party leaflets. At first, he was imprisoned in Nova Gradiška, but was later transferred to Slavonska Požega. Two of the party members were sentenced to death, but were later pardoned and their sentences were reduced to two and three years in prison, respectively. The rest were released. After his release, Manolić went to
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, where he agitated for the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
. He remained in Zagreb until October 1942, when he moved to the territory under the partisan control. As a party agitator, he traveled across Croatia. With dismissal of Andrija Hebrang in 1944, the whole leadership of SKOJ was dismissed as well, including Manolić, who was Organisational Secretary. After his dismissal, the Party sent him to
Bjelovar Bjelovar (, , Czech language, Czech: ''Bělovar'' or ''Bělovár,'' Kajkavian dialect, Kajkavian: ''Belovar,'' Latin: ''Bellovarium'') is a city in central Croatia. In the Demographics of Croatia, 2021 census, its population was 36,316 . It is ...
. In March 1944, Manolić became Member of the Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia for Bjelovar, and was later named Organisational Secretary. In October 1944, he was named Director of
OZNA The Department for Protection of the People, commonly known under its Serbo-Croatian acronym as OZNA, was the secret police of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Communist Yugoslavia that existed between 1944 and 1946. Founding The OZNA w ...
2 in Bjelovar, the communist police founded in May 1944. OZNA 2's jurisdiction were internal affairs, while OZNA 1's jurisdiction was external security and OZNA 3 served within the military. Under pressure from the
Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia The Croatian Armed Forces were formed in 1944 with the uniting of the Croatian Home Guard (World War II), Croatian Home Guard and the Ustaše Militia in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). It was established by the fascist Ustaše regime of ...
, the Yugoslav Partisans left Bjelovar, and returned again on 5 May 1945. His duty, from that point on, was, as Manolić said, to "clear the terrain from the remaining Ustaše and adversary occupational forces". His jurisdiction was Municipality of Bjelovar, which then included
Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...
,
Križevci Križevci (; ; ; ) is a town in northern Croatia with a total population of 21,122 and with 11,231 in the town itself (2011), It is the oldest town in its county, the Koprivnica-Križevci County. History The first mention of "Upper Križeva ...
,
Đurđevac Đurđevac is a town in the Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. History Until 1918, Đurđevac (named ''Militär Sanct Georgen'' before 1850) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after the compromise of 1867), in ...
,
Vrbovec Vrbovec () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia, lying to the northeast of the capital Zagreb. Geography The town of Vrbovec lies to the north-east of Zagreb, either along the A4 motorway and the D10 expressway or by the old Zagreb – ...
,
Čazma Čazma is a town in Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Croatia. It is part of Moslavina. Geography Čazma is situated 60 kilometers east of Zagreb and only 30 kilometres from the center of the region - Bjelovar. Čazma is situated on the slopes of ...
and
Ivanić-Grad Ivanić-Grad or Ivanić Grad () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. Geography Ivanić-Grad is located south-east from Zagreb, connected: * by highway A3 (Bregana-Zagreb-Ivanić-Grad-Slavonski Brod-Lipovac) * by train on direction Zagreb - Sl ...
.


Communist era

After the war, in spring of 1946, Manolić was dismissed as Chief of OZNA 2 for
Bjelovar Bjelovar (, , Czech language, Czech: ''Bělovar'' or ''Bělovár,'' Kajkavian dialect, Kajkavian: ''Belovar,'' Latin: ''Bellovarium'') is a city in central Croatia. In the Demographics of Croatia, 2021 census, its population was 36,316 . It is ...
, and in autumn of the same year, he was sent to be educated at the Military-Political School in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. The school was organised according to the Soviet model, and was part of the educational system of the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
. At the end of 1947, Manolić returned to
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, and was named the Chief of the Department for Staff of the
State Security Administration The State Security Service, also known by its original name as the Directorate for State Security, was the secret police organization of Communist Yugoslavia. It was at all times best known by the acronym UDBA, which is derived from the organiz ...
of
PR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...
. On 1 August 1948, Manolić was named the Chief of Department for Execution of Criminal Sentences of the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in Zagreb. During that time, he participated in imprisonment of Archbishop of Zagreb
Aloysius Stepinac Aloysius Viktor Stepinac (, 8 May 1898 – 10 February 1960) was a Croat prelate of the Catholic Church. Made a cardinal in 1953, Stepinac served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 until his death, a period which included the fascist rule of th ...
. In 1948 he became a chief for prisons for political prisoners and remained in this office until 1963. In 1960, Manolić gained a law degree from the
Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb The Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb (, , PFZG) is the law school of the University of Zagreb. Founded in 1776 by Empress Maria Theresa as part of her comprehensive reforms in the system of education in the Habsburg monarchy, it is the ...
. In 1965 he was elected to the Parliament of the Socialist Republic of Croatia. As a Member of Parliament, Manolić was Member of the Constitutional Commission, President of the Legislative-Legal Commission and President of the Organisational-Political Committee. He was reelected as an MP in 1965. In the aftermath of the
Croatian Spring The Croatian Spring (), or Maspok, was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As one of six republics comprising Yugoslavi ...
in 1972, Manolić was relieved of all duties and sent into retirement.


Democratic changes and War in Croatia

Manolić was one of the founders of the
Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union (, , HDZ) is a major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. Since 2016, it has been the ruling political party in Croatia under the incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. It is one of the ...
(HDZ), participating at its founding assembly in
Jarun Jarun () is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of Zagreb, Croatia. It was named after Lake Jarun, formed by the Sava River, now located on the southern edge of the neighborhood. Lake The lake is the location of the Jarun sports and leisure ...
,
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
. Manolić was one of closest associates of
Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...
, the first
President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...
since the introduction of
multi-party elections In political science, a multi-party system is a political system where more than two meaningfully-distinct political parties regularly run for office and win elections. Multi-party systems tend to be more common in countries using proportional r ...
. Soon, he was named Vice President of the Presidency of the SR Croatia. Between 24 August 1990 and 17 July 1991, he was
Prime Minister of Croatia The prime minister of Croatia, officially the president of the government of the Republic of Croatia (), is Croatia's head of government, and is ''de facto'' the most powerful and influential state officeholder in the Croatian system of governme ...
, having succeeded
Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...
in the post. His
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
was
Tomislav Karamarko Tomislav Karamarko (; born 25 May 1959) is a Croatian politician who served as First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia from January to June 2016. He served in the Cabinet of Jadranka Kosor as Minister of the Interior from 2008 to 2011. Early li ...
, the future chairman of the HDZ and
Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...
under
Tihomir Orešković Tihomir "Tim" Orešković (; born 1 January 1966) is a Croatian-Canadian businessman who was Prime Minister of Croatia from January to October 2016, before a no-confidence vote filed by one of the two parties in the ruling coalition brought hi ...
. On 25 June 1991, the
Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...
voted for Croatia to secede from
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
and declared it an independent country. Manolić was succeeded by
Franjo Gregurić Franjo Gregurić (; born 12 October 1939) is a Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from July 1991 to September 1992, leading a national unity government at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence. Gregurić was ...
in July 1991. When Manolić left the office on 17 July 1991 Croatian forces — police and nascent military — were involved in full-scale war with Krajina rebels, who were backed by the Yugoslav federal army. He took another, even more important post as the head of Constitutional Order Protection Office (''Ured za zaštitu ustavnog poretka''), a body that would coordinate and supervise all Croatian security services. There he built Tuđman's security apparatus, relying mostly on the old cadre from UDBA and other sections of the Communist-era security apparatus. Despite the nature of his work, he remained very much in the public spotlight. In his interviews and statements he gradually gained a reputation of being a moderate. His enormous power, moderate views and Partisan past made him very unpopular among the rank and file of the HDZ party and brought him into conflict with
Gojko Šušak Gojko Šušak (; 16 March 1945 – 3 May 1998) was a Croatian politician who held the post of Ministry of Defence (Croatia), Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1998 under President Franjo Tuđman. From 1990 to 1991 he was the Minister of Emigration ...
, the powerful
Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
, who led a hard-line nationalist faction. In 1993 he was a member of the Presidential Defence and National Security Council. From March 1993 to April 1994 he was the President of the Upper Chamber of Parliament and a member of the Security Council. In 1993 Manolić was replaced from his post and elected as
Speaker of the Chamber of Counties of Croatia The Speaker of the Chamber of Counties (, literally the President of the Chamber of Counties of the Croatian Parliament) was the presiding officer of the Chamber of Counties, the upper chamber of the Croatian Parliament from 22 March 1993 until ...
(to 1994). Many saw this as his demotion and fall from Tuđman's favor. In 1994, Manolić and Mesić tried to organise a mass defection of HDZ members of
Sabor The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor is composed of 151 members elected ...
and thus deprive Franjo Tuđman of parliamentary majority. They failed and later, together with other HDZ dissidents, created a new party called Croatian Independent Democrats (HND), of which Manolić was the president in 1995. Manolić's attempt to take power on national level failed, but his supporters in the
Zagreb County Zagreb County () is a county in Northern Croatia. It surrounds, but does not contain, the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, the county is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring" (). According to the 2021 censu ...
Assembly succeeded in replacing HDZ administration. This led Tuđman to introduce new legislation, merging Zagreb County and the City of
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
and calling for new elections, which ultimately resulted in the Zagreb Crisis. Those elections coincided with the 1995 parliamentary elections, during which HND fared badly, failing to enter Sabor. Thereafter, Manolić was retired from active politics. His autobiography, ''Politika i domovina – Moja borba za suverenu i socijalnu Hrvatsku'' (Politics and homeland - My fight for a sovereign and social Croatia), was published in 2015.


Personal life and death

In 1945, Manolić married his first wife, Marija Eker (1921 – 15 April 2003), who died in a house fire, aged 82. On 30 April 2016, aged 96, Manolić married his second wife, Mirjana Ribarić (5 March 1956 –⁠ 18 August 2020), 35 years his junior, however she later died of
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
, aged 64. He had three children. Manolić's advanced age earned him notability both on social media and in the press. Namely, he was found to be one of the oldest holders of a valid driver's license in Croatia and also became allegedly the first Croat to have undergone a sequencing of his genome. Manolić
turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...
on 22 March 2020. In April 2021, Manolić contracted
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. Despite initially showing signs of mild
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
, he was not hospitalized and he ultimately made a recovery within a little over two weeks. Manolić died on 15 April 2024, aged 104.


Honours and decorations


See also

*
List of prime ministers of Croatia by time in office This is a list of prime ministers of Croatia since the first multi-party elections in 1990. These Prime Ministers served within the Socialist Republic of Croatia, a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, and after independence in 1991, the Republic ...
*
Cabinet of Josip Manolić The Second Government of the Republic of Croatia () was the Croatian Government cabinet led by Prime Minister Josip Manolić. It was announced on 24 August 1990, when the previous prime minister, Stjepan Mesić, left Zagreb to assume the Croatian ...
*
List of oldest living state leaders This article lists the 100 oldest living current or former state leaders whose age can be demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt. State leaders are defined to include heads of state (including representatives who act in their stead, generally a go ...
*
Lists of state leaders by age A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of centenarians (politicians and civil servants) The following is a list of centenarians – specifically, people who became famous as politicians and government servants – known for reasons other than their longevity Longevity may refer to especially long-lived members of a population, wh ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manolic, Josip 1920 births 2024 deaths People from Kalinovac League of Communists of Croatia politicians Croatian Democratic Union politicians Croatian Independent Democrats politicians Prime ministers of Croatia Yugoslav Partisans members Croatian men centenarians Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery