Croatia as a Part of Western Europe

Myth or Reality?

Abstract

Among the Croats, there is a belief that Croatia was (and is) part of the Western European world, especially until 1945 (a belief shared with the Slovenian, the Hungarian, Poles, Czechs and Slovaks). On the other hand, western scholars and writers often situate Croatia in the Balkans (and also in Central Europe; furthermore, Croatia is a Mediterranean country, a fact often overlooked in decision-making). The territory of present-day Croatia historically lied at the borders of empires (Eastern Roman Empire, Western Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Carolingian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ottoman Empire). Croatia’s historical flow was tumultuous (as any other small country) and diverse, as was its cultural flow, though to a lesser extent since culture requires cohesion and connects with other, similar, cultures. The Croatian culture features influences of the Latin culture, Greek culture, Western European culture and Ottoman culture. In this paper, I consider these factors and others, such as Eastern Europe after the Great Schism, Eastern Europe after 1945, and eastern Europe after 1990, and aim to answer a difficult and controversial question: whether Croatia ever belonged or currently belongs to Western Europe, and what are the circumstances
and features that mark it. Furthermore, I also question the concept of westernness, and its criteria.