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The Bridge - 1861 - Erasmus+
The Party of Rights (Stranka prava) and its best known faction the Pure Party of Rights (Čista stranka prava, ČSP) was an influential Croatian political party in the 19th and 20th centuries. The rights in the party's name refer to the idea of Croatian national and ethnic rights, which was central to the party's ideology. The Party of Rights was founded on 26 June 1861 when Ante Starčević and Eugen Kvaternik first presented the policies of the Party of Rights to the Croatian Parliament. They called for greater Croatian autonomy and self-rule at a time when Croatia was divided into several crownlands within the Habsburg Monarchy.
Croatian Party of Rights Foundation
In early October 1871, Kvaternik and several other Party members disavowed the official party position, which advocated 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 splintered and reconciled over time. These factions often clashed over who best represented Croatian state rights.
During the 1895 visit of Emperor Franz Joseph to Zagreb, a flag-burning incident happened, that was disavowed by the party leader Fran Folnegović. However, Ante Starčević disagreed, and he and his followers, notably Eugen Kumičić and Josip Frank (a Jewish convert to Catholicism), formed the first Pure Party of Rights. Starčević died in 1896, and was succeeded by Josip Frank under whose leadership the party became fixated on anti-Serb sentiment.
In the Croatian parliamentary election, 1897, both Parties ran. In 1902, the two Parties reconciled; however, 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 1908 Croatian parliamentary election. The next year, in 1909, the Pure Party of Rights itself splintered, as Mile Starčević, Ante Pavelić and others accused Frank of consorting with Levin Rauch. Both the Starčević and the Frank Party of Rights participated in the Croatian parliamentary election in 1910. In 1911, Frank died, and the two factions merged into the latter. In 1913, the Pure Party of Rights was formed by old supporters of Frank, this time led by Aleksandar Horvat. Both Parties participated in the Croatian parliamentary election in 1913.
Eugen
Kvatervik
Ante
Starčević