Description
Background Information: Ustasha was the Croatian fascist movement that ruled Independent State of Croatia or NDH from 1941-1945. It was considered a puppet state of Nazi Germany, basing much of its ideology on Nazi racial theory. Like the Nazis, Ustasha deemed Jews, Gypsies, and Slavs to be subhuman and a poison to the pure Croatian nation and thus needed to be removed. In addition to eugenical racial theory, the Ustasha ideology was also heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism.
Research Question: What are the different ways the Ustasha utilized Catholic values, symbols, and rituals, as well as fascist ideas on eugenics as a form of regime legitimization, nation building and regeneration? How was Croat identity deeply rooted in primordialization (recreation and reconstruction of the past), as well as constructivism, Catholicism, and Croat long struggle in defense of their homeland’s freedom and independence?
Thesis Statement: It was through the combination of mass terror, genocide, fascist and nationalist ideals, as well as myth, historic memory, and Catholic symbolism that the Ustasha regime resorted to a fantasy heritage to achieve national revival and construct a new consciousness for “Greater Croatia.”
Included in
Utopian Catholic State or Murderous Racist State? Sacralization, Myth, and Politics in the Croatian Ustasha State 1941-1945
Background Information: Ustasha was the Croatian fascist movement that ruled Independent State of Croatia or NDH from 1941-1945. It was considered a puppet state of Nazi Germany, basing much of its ideology on Nazi racial theory. Like the Nazis, Ustasha deemed Jews, Gypsies, and Slavs to be subhuman and a poison to the pure Croatian nation and thus needed to be removed. In addition to eugenical racial theory, the Ustasha ideology was also heavily influenced by Roman Catholicism.
Research Question: What are the different ways the Ustasha utilized Catholic values, symbols, and rituals, as well as fascist ideas on eugenics as a form of regime legitimization, nation building and regeneration? How was Croat identity deeply rooted in primordialization (recreation and reconstruction of the past), as well as constructivism, Catholicism, and Croat long struggle in defense of their homeland’s freedom and independence?
Thesis Statement: It was through the combination of mass terror, genocide, fascist and nationalist ideals, as well as myth, historic memory, and Catholic symbolism that the Ustasha regime resorted to a fantasy heritage to achieve national revival and construct a new consciousness for “Greater Croatia.”