Vladko Maček i Hrvatska seljačka zaštita u Kraljevini Jugoslaviji
VLADKO MAČEK AND THE CROATIAN PEASANT DEFENSE IN THE KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA

Summary/Abstract: Between 1936 and 1941, the Croatian Peasant Party, headed by Vladko Maček, operated two militias – the Hrvatska seljačka zaštita (HSZ) or Croatian Peasant Defense in the villages and the Hrvatska građanska zastita (HGZ) or Croatian Civil Defense in the urban centers. Even though it is well known that these units played an important role in stopping police violence against the Croatian peasantry, there has been precious little attention paid to them up to now. An examination of the activity of the HSZ in particular can throw light not only on Maček’s complicated relations with the Yugoslav government, but also on his relations with Pavelić and the fascist Ustaša movement as well as on the nature of the interwar Kingdom. In a word, the mere fact that Maček saw the need to create a peasant self-defense force speaks volumes about the lawlessness prevailing in that country at the time.

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