Skip to main content

1st Edition

Croatian Nationalist Groups in Australia 1949–1972 Friends in High Places

By Alexander Lee Copyright 2026

204 Pages

by Routledge

204 Pages

by Routledge

Also available as eBook on:

Taylor & Francis eBooks
(Institutional Purchase)Opens in new tab or window

Description

Between 1949 and 1972, Australia became the largest centre of violent Croatian nationalism outside of Europe. This book reveals how radical Croatian groups – responsible for bombings, armed incursions, and political violence across two continents – were allowed to proliferate, thanks to the disinterest and tacit support of Australia’s governing Liberal Party. Of all the Eastern and... Read more

Table of Contents

Introduction

Reverberations

Croatians and Australia’s Migration Story

Overview

Reference List

1. Croatian Nationalism in Australia

Croatian Nationalism

Origins and Nature of Post-War Croatian Nationalism

The Problem of Evidence

Reference List

2. The Arrival of the Post-War Croatians

A New Vision for Australia

Displaced Croatians and Australia

Birth of a Croatian Australian Community

Reference List

3. The Birth of Croatian Nationalist Organisations in Australia

The Formation of Nationalist Groups

Violent Groups

Fertile Ground for Politicisation

Reference List

4. The Pivotal Year of 1963

From Organising to Acting

A Croatian Militia in… Wodonga?

Attacking Yugoslavia

Labor Turns on Croatian Groups

The Left-Wing Case Against Violent Croatian Nationalists

Yugoslavia’s Position

Reference List

5. Patriots or Traitors?

The Australian Government’s Position

Labor’s Position

Opposition to the Croatian Ethnic Identity

Reference List

6. Solving The Problem

Understanding the Problem

Acceptable and Unacceptable Croatian Nationalism

Practical Steps

Natural Decline

Croatian Nationalists as a Low-Level Threat

Reference List

7. No Prosecutions

Pressure without Prosecution

New Friends in Belgrade

The Role of UDBA

Reference List

8. Croatian Spring and the Moscow Pivot

Trouble in the Homeland

All Roads Lead to Moscow

Changing Foundations

Reference List

9. Return of the Croatian Controversy

Croatian Groups Return to Militancy

New Political Attention

Accusations Fly

Division Between the Liberal Party and ASIO

Reference List

10. An Audacious Attack

The 1972 Incursion

Responding to the Incursion

Reference List

11. Refusing to Act

Bombings in Sydney

Debating Action in the Senate

A National Scandal

No Royal Commission

Reference List

12. End of the Liberal Government

The Last Debates

Action Against Croatian Nationalists

Electoral Poison

Reference List

13. Conclusion

Fallout

Reflections

Reference List

Bibliography

Index

Author(s)

Biography

Alexander Lee is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University.

Add to Cart