Nevenka tudjman biography definition

Franjo Tuđman (May 14, - December 10, ) was the first president of Croatia from until He was reelected twice and remained in power until his death in He is known as the "Father of Croatia."^[1] English reference works, news media, and diplomatic usage very often spell his name as "Franjo Tudjman." As Yugoslavia broke into independent republics, Croatia and its neighbors re-asserted their national identities, which had been officially suppressed during the Yugoslavia era. Each re-claimed their cultural legacies. Tuđman emphasized Croatia's Catholic identity and its role as Western Europe's bulwark between "Orthodox Christian and Muslim Balkans."^[2] For him, this made Croatia an ideal candidate for membership of the European Union more so than other Balkan states, which he represented as too Oriental, or pro-Russian.

He did much to resurrect pride in Croatia's past, especially in the period from the establishment of the medieval kingdom () to the Ottoman conquest of at the Battle of Mohács. Part of Croatia remained in union with Hungary, where distinctive cultural institutions were preserved. His speeches espoused hatred of Muslims and Jews while his writing praised the World War II Ustashe regime, which had rid Croatia on behalf of i

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