Većeslav Holjevac - Forgotten Dissident

Josip Mihaljević

doi:10.51663/pnz.58.3.06

Abstract

Croatian politician Većeslav Holjevac (1917-1970) has been remembered as one of the most successful mayors of the city of Zagreb. However, his character and political work are scarcely known to the public today. His merits in the cultural sphere are mostly forgotten, as well as the fact that he was one of the most important Croatian dissidents. His case delineates the issue of the Croatian national reform movement known as the Croatian Spring. Due to his solid character he was not afraid to defend his standpoints, even in the fights with communist comrades who were higher in the hierarchy of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, which caused his political decline. The article presents the critical moments of his dissent and political disagreement with his comrades that led him to the role of the party renegade. The article also discusses the claims that Holjevac's was to become the leader of the Croatian Spring.

Highlights

Većeslav Holjevac is partially known in Croatian history, primarily as one of the most beloved mayors of the City of Zagreb
The public image of Holjevac is mostly positive and often reduced to the successful urban development of Zagreb. His political career was promising at one point, but progressively faded and was over in 1967 due to his disagreement with some of his communist comrades who were higher in the hierarchy
The most serious monograph about Holjevac is the MA thesis written by Iva Kraljević, who analysed his presidency of the Emigrant Foundation of Croatia (EFC) in the period 1964-1968.2 it has not yet been published as a book, so its availability is quite weak

Summary

Introduction

Većeslav Holjevac is partially known in Croatian history, primarily as one of the most beloved mayors of the City of Zagreb. Holjevac’s emphasis on the need for stronger integration of Croatia was a thorn in centralists’ side In an interview he gave while he was still the head of Zagreb, he said that Zagreb needs to use its position more actively and to become a connecting point for all parts of Croatia and that it is a “great harm for Zagreb and for the whole community that we do not yet have modern road connections with Dalmatia.” Whether due to disagreement with individuals in the Party or for some other reason, the fact is that the Presidency of the Central Committee of LCC did not propose Holjevac for a new mayoral mandate.. Strižić points out that Holjevac was “the source for the generations of young intellectuals and students who were carriers of the Croatian Spring.”

Conclusion

Literature:

Findings

SUMMARY