Croatia: A Nation Forged in War - Couverture rigide

Tanner, Marcus

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0300069332 ISBN 13 : 9780300069334

Editeur : Yale University Press, 1997

Synopsis

From the ashes of former Yugoslavia an independent Croatian state has arisen, the fulfilment, in the words of President Franjo Tudjman, of the Croats' "1000 old dream of independence". Yet few countries in Europe have been born amid such bitter controversy and bloodshed: the savage war between pro-independence forces and the Yugoslav army left about one-third of the country in ruins and resulted in the flight of a quarter of a million of the country's Serbian minority. In this book a journalist who witnessed much of the war from Sarajevo and Zagreb traces the rise, fall and rebirth of Croatia from its medieval origins to today's tentative peace. Marcus Tanner describes the creation of the first Croatian kingdom; its absorption into feudal Hungary in the middle age; Croatia's reduction to a tiny sliver of territory after the Ottoman invasion; the absorption of this fragment into Habsburg Austria; the evolution of modern Croatian nationalism after the French Revolution; and the circumstances that propelled Croatia into the arms of Nazi Germany and the brutal, home-grown "Ustashe" movement in the World War II. Finally, drawing on interviews with many of the leading figures in today's affairs, Tanner explains the failure of Tito's communists to "kill home rule by kindness" by turning Yugoslavia into a federal state, and Yugoslavia's violent implosion after his death. Croatia's unique position on the crossroads of Europe - between eastern and western christendom, the Mediterranean and the Balkans and between the old Habsburg and Ottoman empires - has been both a curse and a blessing, inviting the attention of larger and more powerful neighbours. The turbulence and drama of Croatia's past, Tanner argues, are unlikely to disappear in the near future.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

From the ashes of former Yugoslavia an independent Croatian state has arisen, the fulfillment, in the words of President Franjo Tudjman, of the Croats' 'thousand-year-old dream of independence'. Yet few countries in Europe have been born amid such bitter controversy and bloodshed: the savage war between pro-independence forces and the Yugoslav army left about one-third of the country in ruins and resulted in the flight of a quarter of a million of the country's Serbian minority. In this book, an eyewitness to the breakup of Yugoslavia provides the first full account of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Croatia from its medieval origins to today's tentative peace. Marcus Tanner describes the creation of the first Croatian state; its absorption into feudal Hungary in the Middle Ages; the catastrophic experience of the Ottoman invasion; the absorption of the diminished country into Habsburg Austria; the evolution of modern Croatian nationalism after the French Revolution; and, the circumstances that propelled Croatia into the arms of Nazi Germany and the brutal, home-grown 'Ustashe' movement in the Second World War. Finally, drawing on first-hand knowledge of many of the leading figures in the conflict, Tanner explains the failure of Tito's Communists to solve Yugoslavia's tortured national problem by creating a federal state, and the violent implosion after his death. Croatia's unique position on the crossroads of Europe - between Eastern and Western Christendom, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans and between the old Habsburg and Ottoman empires - has been both a curse and a blessing, inviting the attention of larger and more powerful neighbours. The turbulence and drama of Croatia's past are vigorously portrayed in this powerful history.

Biographie de l'auteur

Marcus Tanner was Balkan correspondent of the London 'Independent' from 1988 to 1994 and subsequently the paper's assistant foreign editor. He is also the author of 'Ireland's Holy Wars: The Struggle for a Nation's Soul, 1500-2000', 'The Last of the Celts' and 'The Raven King: Matthias Corvinus and the Fate of his Lost Library', all published by Yale University Press.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Yale University Press
• Date d'édition: 1997
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0300069332
• ISBN 13: 9780300069334
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 350
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible