Povijest NDH kao predmet istraživanja
Independent State of Croatia (1941-1945) as a Subject of Historical Research

Summary/Abstract: Although the historiography has widely researched the period of World War II, it seems that Independent State of Croatia (NDH) has not yet become a closed and finished period of the past, because current political disputes influence views about it. NDH is still widely discussed in questions such as responsibility for the past events and collective identity. Historiography about NDH has undergone several phases. The official historiography before 1991 took approach which can be called "marxists". This approach clearly and unconditionally distinguished "left - right", "fascism - antifascism" and "progressive - reactionary". NDH was explained as a driminal and genocidal state which was established on the ruins of European democracy and as an element of fascist and nazi superiority. At the same time, in the Croatian political emigration appeared another approach to the history of NDH. Most persons who researched this problem were gathared around review "Hrvatska revija", and their approach can be viewed as nostalgic and apologetic. NDH is viewed as a state and nation, historical realization of the independet Croatian state. In order to defend its existence, the romantic element of free and independent Croatian state was especially emphasized. Such approach is limited, because it tries to skip that NDH was created in accordance with the ustasha racists principles. These two approaches are in fact very similar, because they try to explain NDH from only one point of view.After 1990 explanation of NDH could no longer be based on such exclusive and singular approaches. Historians could also access new archival documents about this subject. Currently, the historiographical conflict about NDH is connected with question of war victims, especially the suffering of Jews in NDH and the question of uniqueness of holocaust. War victims cannot be left out from the research.

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