Illyrism

Illyrism as a social movement arose and progressed in the conditions of intensified economic development of Croatia in the 1st half of the 19th century, which was then part of the Austrian Empire , and the formation of the Croatian nation. It was attended by a wide variety of social strata: the Catholic clergy, students, the middle and small nobility, the Slavic commercial and industrial bourgeoisie, the Croatian officers, and the intelligentsia. The supreme Catholic clergy of Croatia and part of the aristocracy of Croatia and Slavonia also supported. The movement was led by a liberal-minded nobility and intelligentsia.

An organized national struggle began in Croatia and Slavonia in 1835, when Ludevit Gai published the first Croatian-language political newspaper Novine horvatske with the literary supplement Danica Horvatska, Slavonska i Dalmatinska ( Ilirske narodne novine since 1836). "Danica Ilirska" ). Representatives of "Illyrism" opened a Slavic printing house in Croatia and Slavonia (since 1837 ), organized reading rooms in several cities, and opened the Matitsa Ilirska Foundation, which played a large role in the development of Croatian book publishing, in Zagreb ; created in 1841 the Economic Society; founded the National Museum; achieved the opening of the Department of Croatian Language and Literature at the Zagreb Academy (1845). The cultural and educational work of the advocates of "Illyrism" was of great importance for the development of the national consciousness of the Croatian people. They also recognized the need for unity of the forces of Slavs, strengthening Slavic solidarity.

Since the beginning of the 40s of the XIX century, the political aspect of "Illyrism" has been strengthened, although cultural and ideological activity continues. There are two directions in the movement. The conservative wing, led by Count Janko Draskovic , saw the future of Croatia as part of the Habsburg empire, but recognized the need for various reforms. The left, liberal wing, headed by Ludevit Gai , Ivan Kukulevich-Saktsinsky , Vukotinovich and others, sought the autonomy of Croatia and Slavonia within the Hungarian kingdom . They demanded that the Croatian language be official, sought the political reunification of the Croatian lands - Croatia, Slavonia , the Military Border , and Dalmatia . Guy and his closest supporters discussed plans to create an independent Yugoslav state outside the Austrian empire, but these plans did not translate into a specific political program. Liberals also advocated the abolition of corvée and a number of other economic reforms. Shortly before 1848, a third, democratic movement, headed by lawyer S. Vrbančić, began to form among the Illyrists.

In the early 1940s, the "Illyrists" also entered the political struggle. In 1841, a Pro-Hungarian, Magyaron organization called the Croatian-Hungarian Party appeared in Croatia and Slavonia, opposing the Yugoslav union and for the close alliance of Croatia and Slavonia with Hungary. The confrontation between the Illyrists and Magyarons came to street fights and clashes. At first, the Austrian court rendered "Illyricism" assistance, hoping with it to weaken the Hungarian opposition and strengthen its position among the Balkan Slavs. However, in 1843, fearing the intensification of Croatian-Hungarian contradictions, which threatened a political crisis, and the rapprochement of the southern Slavs in the empire, the government took a number of restrictive measures against the "Illyrists".

In other South Slavic lands, "Illyrism" received little support, primarily in connection with the development in them of their own national movements for their language and culture. The position of the Croatian public elite, claiming a leading position, also played a role.

In 1848, a new stage of the liberation movement began in Croatia and Slavonia under the slogans of the political unification of the Austrian Yugoslavs into autonomy within the empire. But some figures continued to uphold the ideas of "Great Illyria," though in a narrower framework. The victory of the counter-revolution in the Austrian Empire put an end to the Croatian national liberation movement at this stage.

The main idea of ​​the "Illyrists" was the idea of ​​"Great Illyria", which, according to the ideas of Croatian national figures, occupied all Yugoslav and some non-Slavic territories. Considering their population as one people descended from the indigenous population of Ancient Illyria - the Illyrians , the ideologists of "Illyrism" talked about the literary and linguistic association of the southern Slavs, considering this the basis for the future of their political unity. The ideas of "Great Illyria" indicated that among the South Slavic elite at that time a consciousness of the linguistic and cultural proximity of these peoples had already formed. On the other hand, the ideas of "Illyrism" objectively served to rally the Balkan Slavs around the Habsburg empire.

In 1835, Ludevit Gai formulated the immediate tasks of the Illyrian movement. Initially, this was the development of the Croatian national culture and language, which the ideologists of "Illyrism" represented common to all southern Slavs. The implementation of these tasks, the "Illyrists" began with the creation of a new Croatian spelling . Their great merit was the creation of the Croatian literary language (based on the Shtokav dialect).

• The creation of Yugoslavia
• Yugoslavism

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