Vladimir Maček (20 June 1879 – 15 May 1964) was a politician in the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
. As a leader of the
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party (, HSS) is an agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun Radić, Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The ...
(HSS) following the 1928
assassination of Stjepan Radić, Maček had been a leading Croatian political figure until the
Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941. As a leader of the HSS, Maček played a key role in establishment of the
Banovina of Croatia, an autonomous
banovina in Yugoslavia in 1939.
Early life
Maček was born in
Kupinec near
Jastrebarsko, southwest 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 ...
. His father Ivan was a
Slovene, originally from
Lesično, and his mother Ida was of mixed
Croatian, on her father's side, and
Polish descent on her mother's. At the age of six, Maček started attending elementary school in Kupinec, but continued his education in
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 ...
, as his father, a public employee, was transferred there. In Zagreb, Maček enrolled at a
gymnasium, which he finished when he was 18 and enrolled at 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 ...
. He earned a law degree at
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
. After clerking at various Croatian courts he opened a private law practice in 1908 in
Sv. Ivan Zelina. He joined the
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party (, HSS) is an agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia founded on 22 December 1904 by Antun Radić, Antun and Stjepan Radić as Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party (HPSS). The ...
at its founding.
World War I
At the outbreak of the
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Maček was a reserve officer. As such, he was mobilised into 25th People's Regiment of the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...
as a commander of the 3rd company on 27 July 1914. Maček participated in the
Serbian Campaign and was wounded in the
Battle of Kolubara while crossing the river Kolubara in November. After returning from hospital in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
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 ...
before the Christmas, he was decorated for bravery and promoted to the rank of
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
. Due to his
astigmatism
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error due to rotational asymmetry in the eye's refractive power. The lens and cornea of an eye without astigmatism are nearly spherical, with only a single radius of curvature, and any refractive errors ...
, he was declared unfit to serve on the battlefield, and was appointed a commander of an engineer company, composed of Poles and Ukrainians. His company prepared defenses of
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, and later Austrian-Hungarian port in
Pula
Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...
, where he served until autumn 1916. From 15 October 1916 until 15 March 1917 he served in occupying forces in
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
.
After World War I
After
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, during which he served in the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...
, he became a close associate of
Stjepan Radić. In 1925, after Radić's visit to
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
and the Croatian Peasant Party joining the
Peasants International, Maček was arrested by the
Royal Yugoslav authorities. While in jail, he was elected to the National Assembly. In July 1925, after HSS had joined the government, Maček was released.
HSS leadership and Banovina of Croatia

Maček became the leader of the party on 13 August 1928 following Radić's assassination. He quickly became a main opponent of
King Alexander and was arrested in April 1933 and sentenced to three years in jail for treason.
Maček was released following Alexander's assassination in 1934. His stated aim during that period was to transform Yugoslavia from a unitary state, dominated by ethnic Serbs, into a new form of state organization in which Croatian statehood would be restored. His ideas appealed to a majority of Croats, and the Croatian Peasant Party gradually gained popularity. He nurtured close relations with other opposition parties in Yugoslavia and, although his coalition lost elections in 1938, it remained a force for reckoning. His persistence and political skills finally paid off in August 1939 with
Dragiša Cvetković in the
Cvetković–Maček Agreement and the creation of the
Banovina of Croatia (
Banovina), a semi-autonomous entity which contained Croatia and large sections of today's
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. HSS became part of the coalition government while Maček himself became deputy prime minister of Yugoslavia.
World War II
This triumph proved to be short-lived as Banovina collapsed along with Yugoslavia when it was invaded by the
Axis
An axis (: axes) may refer to:
Mathematics
*A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular:
** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system
*** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...
invasion in April 1941. Seen by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
as an ideal leader of a new Axis puppet state—the
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
—Maček was offered the opportunity to become prime minister, but refused the offer twice. He called on the supporters of HSS to respect and co-operate with the new regime of
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 was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fasc ...
, while at the same time delegating
Juraj Krnjević to represent the Croatian people in the Yugoslav government-in-exile.
Maček's strategy proved to be detrimental both for his party and himself. In October 1941, he was arrested and interned in
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac () was a concentration camp, concentration and extermination camp established in the Jasenovac, Sisak-Moslavina County, village of the same name by the authorities of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in occupied Yugoslavia durin ...
where he was put under the watch of
Ljubo Miloš
Ljubomir "Ljubo" Miloš (25 February 1919 – 20 August 1948) was a Croatian public official who was a member of the Ustaše of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during World War II. He served as commandant of the Jasenovac concentrat ...
for some time.
Five months later, on 16 March 1942, he was placed under house arrest together with his family at his home in
Kupinec. His family shared his internment first in Kupinec, then two months of 1943 (9 January to 9 March) in
Luburić's Zagreb apartment (which they shared with Luburić's aged mother and his two sisters), and finally from 9 December 1943 until the collapse of Pavelić's Ustaša regime in May 1945 in his Prilaz 9 house in Zagreb.
In the meantime, HSS began to fracture along ideological lines—some of its members joined 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 ...
, while others joined Tito's
Partisans. Bitterly opposed to both, in 1945 Maček emigrated first to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, then to the U.S.
Later life
On 12 June 1945, Maček was received by French foreign minister
Georges Bidault who offered him the right of domicile in France.
He visited the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
for the first time in 1946 after receiving a visa by order of the
Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...
. He was received by mayor
David L. Lawrence of Pittsburgh while delivering a speech in that city.
Maček helped found the
International Peasants' Union along with
Georgi Mihov Dimitrov in 1947. He refused offers for the leadership of the numerous Croatian émigré groups. In 1949, he provided much of the material on Yugoslavia for "Communists Crush Churches in Eastern Europe," edited by
Reuben H. Markham, who called him "one of the bravest and most devoted champions of common men and women in southeast Europe." He died of a heart attack in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, on 15 May 1964, at 84. His remains were taken to
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
in 1996 and buried in the
Mirogoj cemetery in
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 ...
. He was posthumously awarded the
Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir in 2004.
See also
*
Stanisław Maczek, Vladko Maček's cousin
References
Sources
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maczek, Vladko
1879 births
1964 deaths
People from Klinča Sela
People from the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
Croatian Peasant Party politicians
Representatives in the Yugoslav National Assembly (1921–1941)
Croatian people of World War II
Croatian people of Slovenian descent
Croatian people of Polish descent
Croatian politicians convicted of crimes
Deputy prime ministers of Yugoslavia
Yugoslav prisoners and detainees
Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb alumni
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery
Jasenovac concentration camp survivors
Yugoslav emigrants to the United States
Yugoslav people of Polish descent
People convicted of treason against Yugoslavia