Party of Rights (1861–1929)

The Party of Rights or Party of the Right (Croatian: Stranka prava) was an influential Croatian political party in the 19th and 20th centuries. The right or rights in the party's name refer to the idea of Croatian national and ethnic rights that were the central topic of the party's existence, as the first name was Stranka hrvatskog državnog prava (Party of the Croatian State Right). The translation is not straightforward because the word prava is both singular and plural genitive of the word pravo ("right") in Croatian.

Several modern Croatian and Bosnian political parties claim lineage from it: the Croatian Party of Rights, the Croatian Pure Party of Rights, the Croatian Party of Rights 1861, Autochthonous Croatian Party of Rights, the Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević, Croatian Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Party of Croatian Right, Party of Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1861, Croatian Party of Rights of Posavina, Croatian Party of Rights of Herzeg-Bosnia, Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević of Bosnia and Herzegovina and possibly others.

Kingdom of Croatia

The Party of Rights was founded on June 26, 1861 when Ante Starčević and Eugen Kvaternik first presented the policies of the "Party of Rights" to the Croatian Parliament calling for greater Croatian autonomy and self-rule at a time when Croatia was divided into several crownlands within the Habsburg Monarchy.

In early October 1871, Kvaternik and several other Party members disavowed the official party position advocating a political solution and instead launched the Rakovica Revolt. The rebels declared the following aims:

• freedom of the Croatian people from Austrian and Magyar (Hungarian) oppression
• proclamation of an independent Croatia
• equality under law
• municipal self-government
• abolition of the Military Frontier and introduction of free counties
• respect for both religions in love and unity

The rebels also sought to encourage participation of Orthodox Serbs in the revolt, and some of them did, but the uprising was soon crushed by the authorities. Most of the rebels were killed, including Kvaternik.

The Party ran in the Croatian parliamentary by-election, 1883 and the Croatian parliamentary election, 1884.

In late 19th and early 20th century, the party underwent various changes in membership and policy, as different factions led by important figures splintered and reconciled over time. They often vied for the title of the most ideologically pure party that represents Croatian state rights.

Following the 1895 visit of Emperor Franz Joseph to Zagreb, party leader Fran Folnegović disavowed the flag-burning incident, but Ante Starčević disagreed. He and his followers, notably Eugen Kumičić, Josip Frank and Mile Starčević, formed the first Pure Party of Rights (Croatian: čista stranka prava). Starčević died in 1896, and was succeeded by Josip Frank.

In the Croatian parliamentary election, 1897, both Parties ran.

In 1902, the two Parties merged once again. But, in 1905 the leadership of the party, led by Frano Supilo, merged into the Croat-Serb Coalition, and the Pure Party of Rights was formed once again.

Starčević's Party of Rights participated in the Croatian parliamentary election, 1908.

In 1909, the Pure Party of Rights itself splintered, as Mile Starčević, Ante Pavelić and others accused Josip Frank of consorting with Levin Rauch. The dissidents formed the so-called Starčević's Party of Rights.

Both the Starčević and the Frank Party of Rights participated in the Croatian parliamentary election, 1910.

In 1911, Frank died, and the two factions merged once again into the latter.

In 1913, the Pure Party of Rights was formed once again by old supporters of Frank, this time led by Aleksandar Horvat.

Both Parties participated in the Croatian parliamentary election, 1913.

Kingdom of Dalmatia

The Party of Rights also operated in Dalmatia, which was separated from Croatia and Slavonia at the time. They participated in the Dalmatian elections in 1895, 1901, and 1908.

After World War I

The Croatian Party of Rights welcomed the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in the wake of World War I as a means toward achieving Croatian independence, through the creation of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. Accordingly, the party opposed the merging of the new state into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

A unified Party of Rights participated in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Constitutional Assembly election, 1920 as well as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes parliamentary election, 1923.

In 1922, it briefly joined the Croatian Bloc (coalition). It did not enter the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes parliamentary election, 1925, but did join the Bloc again the same year.

In 1929, the king of Yugoslavia instituted the January 6th Dictatorship. He banned all political parties, and the militant wing of the Party if Rights went underground to organize the Ustaše movement, led by former party secretary Ante Pavelić.

Legacy

The Croatian Party of Rights, founded in 1990, claims lineage from the original Party of Rights. Since 1990, several splinter parties have been founded that claim the same. A modern party analogous to the original Pure Party of Rights exists today, too, the Croatian Pure Party of Rights.

References