At the beginning of the 1990ies the transformation of the political system in Croatia that followed the breakdown of the former Yugoslavian socialistic order was accompanied by the build- up of a national state and the war of independence. This constellation led to a nationalistic atmosphere among the Croatian population that was supported by the political elite in order to legitimate political actions. For that purpose the political decision makers were geared to specific historical

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... es, especially to those related to the last decades of the former Yugoslavia. Hence nationalism influenced the social and political transformation of Croatia in a sustainable way. This diploma thesis analyses the background of Croatian nationalism, its characteristics, its intensity in the 1990ies and the consequences of its influence on the Croatian transformation process. For that purpose theoretical discussions are used, too.