Vlatka Vukelić (University of Zagreb)
Vladimir Šumanović (University of Zagreb)
The end of the Second World War in Europe marked a change in the character of the civil war in Yugoslavia, but not the end of the war itself. In the new circumstances, the bearers of resistance became various political groups and individuals who did not want to accept the communist regime. One of the areas where armed resistance to the new authorities was strongest was Slavonia. In a historical sense, Slavonia is one of the historical Croatian lands and today, in its entire area, it is part of the Republic of Croatia. In the period from the end of the Second World War until the Informbiro Resolution against the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) and the subsequent change in Yugoslavia’s policy towards the Soviet Union, Slavonia was the scene of an intense civil war against the new authorities. The bearers of resistance were residents of Slavonia of Croatian nationality and strong Catholic faith, for whom the new government was unacceptable because it denied Croatian independence and emphasized aggressive atheism. Because of this, they adopted the name “Crusaders” (Križari) as a collective term for their members. The nature of the resistance, the names of the protagonists of that resistance, and their fate are visible from the documents of the Yugoslav security services, as well as from historiographical literature written after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The aim of this presentation is to provide basic information on the topic.