History UsefulNotes / Croatia

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->The flag combines the colors of the flags of the Kingdoms of Croatia (red and white), Slavonia (white and blue) and Dalmatia (red and blue) -- historic constituent states of the Kingdom of Croatia -- and also coincide with the Pan-Slavic colors. At the center is the coat of arms, consisting a red-and-white checkerboard (''chequy'' in heraldic language) shield, "crowned" with the coats-of-arms of the country's five historic constituent kingdoms: Croatia (golden six-pointed star over silver crescent on blue field), Dubrovnik (two red bars on a blue field), Dalmatia (three crowned golden lions on a blue field), Istria (golden goat on blue field), and Slavonia (golden six-pointed star over a red bar with white fimbriations containing a pine marten, all over a blue field).

[[AC:the Croatian flag]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hr-flag.gif
-> The flag combines the colors of the flags of the Kingdom of Croatia (red and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (white and blue) and the Kingdom of Dalmatia (red and blue). Those three kingdoms are the historic constituent states of the Croatian Kingdom. In the middle is the coat of arms of Croatia.

The bitterness of the Croats would show during WW1, when many of them refused to take up arms against their "brother" Serbs and Russians. The Hapsburg monarchy fell apart and the Croats, in a rush of Yugoslavist enthusiasm, joined the new Yugoslav kingdom (though to be fair, they had little choice: had they refused, their state would have been torn apart as the victorious Serbs and Italians scrambled over the "spoils of war").

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Serbs, Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), and "antifascists". The last covered mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters and other opponents of the Ustaša regime. The Ustaše also hold the "distinction" of being the only non-German nation who ran their own extermination camp (at Jasenovac), which was so needlessly brutal (its creation was mostly rage-filled prejudice instead of the industrialization of the Nazi death camps) that ''[[EvenEvilHasStandards the Nazi inspectors were sickened at what they saw]]'' (though did nothing to stop it).

The war was extremely bloody and brutal, with more than 1.1 million dead in the whole of Yugoslavia, out of a total population of around 16.5 million. The remnants of the Ustašhe and Četnik forces tried to surrender to the British troops in Austria and Italy, but were turned back, which led to many of them being summarily executed. In addition, many German and Italian residents were driven out of the country almost immediately after the war.

After the fall of many communist regimes in the early 90s, Croatia tried to follow the lead of Slovenia and leave crumbling Yugoslavia, but most areas where the Serbs were in the majority decided to secede from Croatia, forming with Serbia's support the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republika_Srpska_Krajina Serb Krajina]] ("Krayina"). Tensions flared, and non-Serbs were expelled from the Krajina. The desertion-plagued and badly motivated Serb-dominated Yugoslav People's Army intervened to officially stop the Croatian attempt to secede while in reality giving military assistance to the Krajina Serbs, but proved ineffective against the Croatian militias and volunteers due to low morale, sloppy to nonexistent strategies and outdated military doctrines - though brutal Serb paramilitaries did their best to make up for this by terrorizing the population. A ceasefire was agreed upon at the end of 1991, and the war in Croatia died down to a series of skirmishes, until the Croats eventually toppled the Serb Krajina in a series of offensives in 1995.

Meanwhile, however, the conflict had spilled over into Bosnia, resulting in the bloodiest conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Milošević reorganized the Yugoslav Army, purging it from almost all non-Serb and Serb officers he deemed not loyal enough and emphasizing Serbian nationalism among the troops. As the Serbs sought to ethnically cleanse large regions of Bosnia, the Croats also sought to bring an area of southwestern Bosnia (which they dubbed the Republic of Herceg-Bosna) under their control and conducted some ethnic cleansing of their own (though not on the same scale as the Serbs). Finally, the Croats and Bosniaks, under Western pressure, decided to ally against the Serbs. After Operation Storm (contrary to some opinions in the West, NATO bombing was ineffective, both militarily and politically - NATO did provide UAVs and satellite imaginery), a peace treaty was finally signed by all the participants in 1995.

* Croatia became a member of {{NATO}} in 2008, and is set to become a member of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion in 2013.

The Republic of Croatia, in Croatian ''Republika Hrvatska'' (in the Yugoslavian languages, "r" is occasionally a vowel. Don't ask me why). The Croats were a Slavic tribe who probably came from somewhere in modern Poland and Ukraine before crossing over the Carpathian basin to settle in modern Croatia during the 600s, when that region had been devastated by nomadic raiders.

Croatia rarely appears in Western media, and when it does it often includes elements of {{Ruritania}} (typical pre-World War II portrayal, but is also present in ColdWar era and YugoslavWars portrayals), CommieLand (less sympathetic Cold War-era portrayals) or an {{Expy}} of RepublicanItaly (when its summer tourism appeal is emphasized - this portrayal was almost as common during Tito's time as it is today). Sometimes it is even presented as a bizarre mix of the above settings.

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Serbs, Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), and "antifascists". The last covered mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters and other opponents of the Ustaša regime. The Ustaše also hold the "distinction" of being the only non-German nation who ran their own extermination camp (at Jasenovac), which was so needlessly brutal (its creation was mostly rage-filled prejudice instead of the industrialization of the Nazi death camps) that ''[[EveryoneHasStandards the Nazi inspectors were sickened at what they saw]]'' (though did nothing to stop it).

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Serbs, Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), and "antifascists". The last covered mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters and other opponents of the Ustaša regime. The Ustaše also hold the "distinction" of being the only non-German nation who ran their own extermination camp (at Jasenovac), which was so needlessly brutal (its creation was mostly rage-filled prejudice instead of the industrialization of the Nazi death camps) that ''[[BeyondTheImpossible the Nazi inspectors were sickened at what they saw]]'' (though did nothing to stop it).

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Serbs, Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), and "antifascists". The last covered mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters and other opponents of the Ustaša regime. The Ustaše also hold the "distinction" of being the only non-German nation who ran their own extermination camp (at Jasenovac).

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), Serbs, and "antifascists". The last covered the better part of the Croatian population, who were mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters.

After the fall of many communist regimes in the early 90s, Croatia tried to follow the lead of Slovenia and leave crumbling Yugoslavia, but most areas where the Serbs were in the majority decided to secede from Croatia, forming the so-called Serb Krajina ("Krayina"). Tensions flared, and non-Serbs were expelled from the Krajina. The desertion-plagued and badly motivated multiethnic Yugoslav People's Army intervened to stop the Croatian attempt to secede, but proved ineffective against the Croatian militias and volunteers - though brutal Serb paramilitaries did their best to make up for this by terrorizing the population. A ceasefire was agreed upon at the end of 1991, and the war in Croatia died down to a series of skirmishes, until the Croats finally drove out the Serb militias and toppled the Serb Krajina in a series of offensives in 1995.

Meanwhile, however, the conflict had spilled over into Bosnia, resulting in the bloodiest conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Milošević reorganized the Yugoslav Army, purging it from almost all non-Serb officers and emphasizing Serbian nationalism among the troops. As the Serbs sought to ethnically cleanse large regions of Bosnia, the Croats also sought to bring an area of southwestern Bosnia (which they dubbed the Republic of Herceg-Bosna) under their control and conducted some ethnic cleansing of their own (though not on the same scale as the Serbs). Finally, the Croats and Bosniaks, under Western pressure, decided to ally against the Serbs. After Operation Storm (contrary to some opinions in the West, NATO bombing was ineffective, both militarily and politically - NATO did provide UAVs and satellite imaginery), a peace treaty was finally signed by all the participants in 1995.

Meanwhile, however, the conflict had spilled over into Bosnia, resulting in the bloodiest conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Milošević reorganized the Yugoslav Army, purging it from almost all non-Serb officers and emphasizing Serbian nationalism among the troops. As the Serbs sought to ethnically cleanse large regions of Bosnia, the Croats also sought to bring an area of southwestern Bosnia (which they dubbed the Republic of Herceg-Bosna) under their control and conducted some ethnic cleansing of their own (though not on the same scale as the Serbs). Finally, the Croats and Bosniaks, under Western pressure, decided to ally against the Serbs. After NATO stepped in and started bombing Serb targets, a peace treaty was finally signed by all the participants in 1995.

* Other famous Croats in modern times include actor Goran Višnjić (Luka Kovač in ''{{Series/ER}}'') and basketball player Toni Kukoč.

Now the Croats have a fully independent state, but the population still remains bitterly divided over its troubled political past and current situation.

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), Serbs, and "antifascists". The last covered the better part of the Croatian population, who were mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters. The Ustaše also hold the "distinction" of being the only non-German nation who ran their own extermination camp (at Jasenovac).

* Croatia became a member of {{NATO}} in 2008, and is set to become a EuropeanUnion member in 2013.

The Germans and Italians put the Ustaše in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Jews, Roma (usually called "Gypsies"), Serbs, and "antifascists". The last covered the better part of the Croatian population, who were mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters.

There were problems from the start, however. Croats wanted autonomy, but there was no clean dividing line between Serbs and Croats. As an answer to this and other pro-national movements, the Serb king put up a dictatorial regime, which lasted until he was assassinated by a violent terrorist outfit backed by FascistItaly called the Ustaše ("Oostahshee"). His successor was more even-handed and, after long and tricky negotiations, a large autonomous Croatia was created in 1939. But soon after that AdolfHitler began his campaign to conquer Europe...

* Other famous Croats in modern times include actor Goran Višnjić (Luka Kovač in ''[[Series/ER]]'') and basketball player Toni Kukoč.

* Mira Furlan, aka ''{{Babylon 5}}'''s Ambassador Delenn, is Croatian; the accent she uses is her native accent. Delenn's scathing WhatTheHellHero to the Grey Council in the episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E10SeveredDreams Severed Dreams]]" was infused with Furlan's own rage against the European powers who failed to come to the aid of the Balkans in the early nineties, just a few years before the episode first aired.

Now the Croats have a fully independent state, but the population still remains bitterly divided over its troubled political past and current situation.

* Croatia is a candidate member for the EuropeanUnion and a member of {{NATO}} since 2008.

There were problems from the start, however. Croats wanted autonomy, but there was no clean dividing line between Serbs and Croats. As an answer to this and other pro-national movements, the Serb king put up a dictatorial regime, which lasted until he was assassinated by a violent terrorist outfit backed by FascistItaly called the Ustase ("Oostahshee"). His successor was more even-handed and, after long and tricky negotiations, a large autonomous Croatia was created in 1939. But soon after that AdolfHitler began his campaign to conquer Europe...

The Germans and Italians put the Ustase in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Jews, Roma, Gypsies, Serbs, and "antifascists". The last covered the better part of the Croatian population, who were mostly enthusiastic supporters of the communist Partisan freedom-fighters.

Soon after the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, two movements sprang up in Croatia (and most of the former Yugoslavia): the multinational and predominantly communist Partisans and the royalist and Serb-nationalist Chetniks. The two movements soon realized their goals were incompatible and fought each other as well as the Axis forces. The Chetniks soon started collaborating with the Axis forces (thinking the partisans were a greater threat), but despite all this the Partisans gained the upper hand by 1943. After Italy surrendered later in the same year, the partisans gained a lot of captured equipment, as well as aid from the British air force based in Italy and the Croatian islands.

The war was extremely bloody and brutal, with more than 1.1 million dead in the whole of Yugoslavia, out of a total population of around 20 million. The remnants of the Ustashe and Chetniks forces tried to surrender to the British troops in Austria and Italy, but were turned back, which led to many of them being summarily executed. In addition, many German and Italian residents were driven out of the country almost immediately after the war.

Under Yugoslavia and its Tito, Croatia enjoyed autonomy within boundaries fairly similar to those of 1938. This left many Serbs still in the country, and many Croats still in Bosnia, as the differant peoples were all mingled together. In the 70s, Croatia gained more power under a decentralised constitution. Living standards in communist Yugoslavia were much better than in the Eastern Block, and the country was more open towards the West. That said, Yugoslavia was a prominent member of the Non-aligned movement and firmly refused to join either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. It did, however, reestablish relations with both German republics.

After the fall of many communist regimes in the early 90s, Croatia tried to follow the lead of Slovenia and leave crumbling Yugoslavia, but the Serbian areas seceded. A long and bitter war across Croatia and Bosnia followed. Thousands of Serbs had to flee the country, while in Bosnia it was Croats who suffered persecution alongside the Bosniaks. The two eventually united to fight the local Serbs. The war ended with Croatia independent and much of its Serbian population fled, and Bosnia divided into a Serb zone and a joint Croat-Bosniak zone.

* The chequerboard design on the coat-of-arms (and flag) is echoed on most of their sports uniforms, and Croatia are the only national team to play in checks. Their football team has been very successful since independence - , they came third in the World Cup in 1998, their first appearance.

The Republic of Croatia, in Croatian ''Republika Hrvatska'' (in the Yugoslavian languages, "r" is occasionally a vowel. Don't ask me why). The Croats were a Slavic tribe who probably came from somewhere in modern Poland and Ukraine before crossing over the Carpathian basin to settle in modern Croatia during the 600s, when that region had been devastated by nomadic raiders. At that time, they were more or less indistinguishable from the related Serb tribe.

As the Middle Ages wore on, various Croatian statelets emerged on modern Croatian territory. Some of the migrated tribes became catholic and others Orthodox, and this was the essential divide between Serbs and Croats, whose dialects were all mixed up and in fact still are. A united Croatian kingdom finally appeared somewhere in the 10th century, but lasted less than 2 centuries.

Due to a Croatian king dying without a direct heir, Croatia became associated with Hungary through marriage ties and, after the failure of a local noble (Petar Svačić) to sieze the throne, came under the rule of the Hungarian king. This period in Croatia is characterised by the rise of feaudalism and the ascent of noble families like the Frankopans and Šubićs. The Hungarians and Croats got along more-or-less OK until the Battle of Mohacz in 1526, when Hungary was shattered by the Ottomans, its king killed in battle, and its nobles placed themselves under Hapsburg rule. Meanwhile, the Venetian Repbulic consolidated its power in coastal Croatia (Dalmatia), using the Ottoman threat to further its influence there.

There were problems from the start, however. Croats wanted autonomy, but there was no clean dividing line between Serbs and Croats. The land of Bosnia was disputed between the Serbs, Croats, and the Serbian-speaking but not Serbian-feeling "Bosniaks" or "Muslims by nationality". As an answer to this and other pro-national movements, the Serb king put up a dictatorial regime, which lasted until he was assassinated by a violent terrorist outfit backed by FascistItaly called the Ustase ("Oostahshee"). His successor was more even-handed and, after long and tricky negotiations, a large autonomous Croatia was created in 1939. But soon after that AdolfHitler began his campaign to conquer Europe...

The Germans and Italians put the Ustase in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia, while Italy placed a large part of the Croatian coastland under its direct rule (and Hungary took a small part of northern Croatia). Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Jews, Roma, Gypsies, Serbs, and "antifascists". The last covered the better part of the Croatian population, who were mostly enthusiastic supporters of the Partisan freedom-fighters, although the memory of the genocidal regime, which issued its camp-guards with special knife-gloves called "Serbcutters", continues to sour Serbo-Croatian relations. It doesn't help that some ultranationalists and neonazis still like to use the Ustashe symbols.

Soon after the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, two resistance movements sprang up in Croatia (and most of the former Yugoslavia): the multinational and predominantly communist Partisans and the royalist and Serb-nationalist Chetniks. The two movements soon realized their goals were incompatible and fought each other as well as the Axis forces. The Chetniks soon started collaborating with the Axis forces (thinking the partisans were a greater threat), but despite all this the Partisans gained the upper hand by 1943. After Italy surrendered later in the same year, the partisans gained a lot of captured equipment, as well as aid from the British air force based in Italy and the Croatian islands.

The war was extremely bloody and brutal, with more than 1.1 million dead in the whole of Yugoslavia, out of a total population of around 20 million. The remnants of the Ustashe and other pro-Axis forces tried to surrender to the British troops in Austria and Italy, but were turned back, which led to many of them being summarily executed. In addition, many German and Italian residents were driven out of the country almost immediately after the war.

Under Yugoslavia and its ethnically-Croat but Yugoslav-declared leader Tito, Croatia enjoyed autonomy within boundaries fairly similar to those of 1938. This left many Serbs still in the country, and many Croats still in Bosnia, as the differant peoples were all mingled together. In the 70s, Croatia gained more power under a decentralised constitution. Living standards in communist Yugoslavia were much better than in the Eastern Block, and the country was more open towards the West, but political repression was heavy, and the authorities were quick to stifle any poilitical dissent. That said, Yugoslavia was a prominent member of the Non-aligned movement and firmly refused to join either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. It did, however, reestablish relations with both German republics.

After the fall of many communist regimes in the early 90s, Croatia tried to follow the lead of Slovenia and leave crumbling Yugoslavia, but the Serbian areas seceded. A long and bitter war across Croatia and Bosnia followed. Thousands of Serbs had to flee the country, while in Bosnia it was Croats who suffered persecution alongside the Bosniaks. The two eventually united to fight the local Serbs. The war ended with Croatia independent and much of its Serbian population fled, and Bosnia divided into a Serb zone and a joint Croat-Bosniak muslim zone.

Now the Croats have a fully independent state, but the population still remains bitterly divided over its troubled political past and current situation. In addition, the country suffers from serious corruption, cronyism and economic problems. Most of the current economy is based on summer tourism.

The bitterness of the Croats would show duringng WW1, when many of them refused to take u arms against their "brother" Serbs and Russians. The Hapsburg monarchy fell apart and the Croats, in a rush of Yugoslavist enthusiasm, joined the new Yugoslav kingdom (though to be fair, they had little choice: had they refused, their state would have been torn apart as the victorious Serbs and Italians scrambled over the "spoils of war").

There were problems from the start, however. Croats wanted autonomy, but there was no clean dividing line between Serbs and Croats. The land of Bosnia was disputed between the Serbs, Croats, and the Serbian-speaking but not Serbian-feeling "Bosniaks" or "Muslims by nationality". As an answer to this and other pro-national movements, the Serb king put up a dicatorial regime, which lasted until he was assassinated by a violent terrorist outfit backed by FascistItaly called the Ustase ("Oostahshee"). His successor was more even-handed and, after long and tricky negotiations, a large autonomous Croatia was created in 1939. But soon after that AdolfHitler began his campaign to conquer Europe...

Soon after the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, two resistance movements sprang up in Croatia (and most of the former Yugoslavia): the multinational and predominantly communist Partisans and the royalist and Serb-nationalist Chetniks. The two movements soon realized their goals were incompatible and fought each other as well as the Axis forces. The Chetniks soon started collaborating with the Axis forces (thinking the partisans were a greater threat), but despite all this the Partisans gained the upper hand by 1943. After Italy surrendered later in the same year, the partisans gained a lot of captured equipment, as well as aid from the British air force based in Italy and the Croatian islands.

'''Some miscellaneous info on Croatia:'''

[[AC: The Croatian Flag]]

<<|UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}|>>

Some miscellaneous info on Croatia:

Croatian mercenaries, some of who were rather famous in their time, gave the world the cravat (though the original version looked rather different than the modern one).

Some of the world's first fountain pens came from Croatia.

Nikola Tesla was born in Croatia.

The Croatian language has three major dialects, identified by three different words for "what" ća, kaj and što.

The chequerboard design on the coat-of-arms (and flag) is echoed on most of their sports uniforms, and Croatia are the only national team to play in checks. Their football team has been very successful since independence - , they came third in the World Cup in 1998, their first appearance.

World heritage sites in Croatia include: Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian, Old City of Dubrovnik, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basilica in the Historic Centre of Poreč, Historic City of Trogir, The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik, The Stari Grad Plain on the island of Hvar.

Croatia is a candidate member for the EuropeanUnion and a member of {{NATO}} since 2008.

The Republic of Croatia, in Croatian ''Republika Hrvatska'' (in the Yugoslavian languages, "r" is occasionally a vowel. Don't ask me why). The Croats were a Slavic tribe who probably came from somewhere in modern Poland and Ukraine before crossing over the Carpathian basin to settle in modern Croatia during the 600s, when that region had been devestated by nomadic raiders. At that time, they were more or less indistinguishable from the related Serb tribe.

As the Middle Ages wore on, various Croatian statelets emerged on modern Croatian territory. Some of the migrated tribes became catholic and others Orthodox, and this was the essential divide between Serbs and Croats, whos dialects were all mixed up and in fact still are. Their mercenaries gave the world the cravat.

Croatia became associated with Hungary, being ruled by the Hungarian king. When Hungary was shattered by the Ottomans, it fell under Hapsburg rule. Given that both it and Hungary answered to Vienna, the question of whether it was in Hungary staid quiet...

Until 1848. By this time, the long-dormant national spirit of the Croats re-asserted itself in literature and learning. When the Hungarians rose up ad tried to assert their rule over Croatia, the Croats sided with the Hapsburgs, but after Vienna restored control, they got nothing to show for it.

A second shock to the Austrian system in 1867 ended up created a Croatia that was divided between Austria and Hungary within their joint empire but also autonomous in culture and politics. Duirng WW1, the Hapsburg monarchy fell apart and the Croatians, in a rush of Yugoslavist enthusiasm, joined the new Yugoslav state.

There were problems from the start, however. Croats wanted autonomy, but there was no clean dividing line between Serbs and Croats. The land of Bosnia was disputed between the Serbs, Croats, and the Serbian-speaking but not Serbian-feeling "Bosniaks" or "Muslims by nationality". After long and tricky negotiations, a large autonomous Croatia was created in 1938, but for a long time a violent terrorist outfit backed by Fascist Italy called the Ustase ("Oostahshee") had been at large.

When the Germans arrived to occupy the country during WW2, they put the Ustase in charge of Croatia and the whole of Bosnia. Without any prompting from Germany, they set out of destroy Jews, Roma, Gypsies, Serbs, and "antifascists". The last covered the better part of the Croatian population, who were mostly enthusiastic supporters of the Partisan freedom-fighters, although the memory of the genocidal regime, which issued its camp-guards with special knife-gloves called "Serbcutters", continues to sour Serbo-Croatian relations.

Under Yugoslavia, Croatia enjoyed autonomy within boundaries fairly similar to those of 1938. This left many Serbs still in the country, and many Croats still in Bosnia, as the differant peoples were all mingled together. In the 70s, Croatia gained more power under a decentralised constitution.

In the mid-90s, Croatia tried to follow the lead of Slovenia and leave crumbling Yugoslavia, but the Serbian areas seceded. A long and bitter war across Croatia and Bosnia followed. Thousands of Serbs had to flee the country, while in Bosnia it was Croats who suffered persecution alongside the Bosniaks. The two eventually united to fight the local Serbs. The war ended with Croatia independent and much of its Serbian population fled, and the Croats one part of the complicated system of Bosnia.

A tourist destination before and after the war, Croatia is a candidate member for the EuropeanUnion and {{NATO}}.