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Croatia and the Balkans
Croatia
Background:
The Serbs and Croatians were two separate ethnic groups of Sarmatian
Culture who had emerged from the Persian-Median Empire moved from the Ukraine into Germany and Bohemia and then southwards.
In their movements they had absorbed other peoples and Slavic language and culture. The Serbs were to become Greek Orthodox in
religion and orientated towards Russia. The Croats became Roman Catholic and were heavily influenced by
the Hungarians and Germans.
Other peoples in the Balkan area included the Bosnians who were originally
Zoroastrian-type-pagans and Christian Bogomils.
Later when the Ottoman Turks ruled over them the Bosnians became Muslims.
The Albanians were originally Illyrians or Thracians also became Muslim.
The Slovenians were possibly of the same stock as the Venetians of Italy but became Slavic and Roman Catholic.
Both Slovenia and Croatia in International Affairs may be considered "sleeping"
satellites of Germany.
The Biblical
Connection of the Balkans
The Venetians traditionally had links with the Ancient Philistines in addition
to which there was a Philistine presence on the Adriatic Coast whose descendants possibly
would include some of the inhabitants of Croatia and Slovenia.
In addition, a branch of the Canaanites along with Edomites were to be found
amongst the Thracians. Some scholars suggest that from "Thrace" there was a movement
into Germany.
There were also Israelite in the region amongst the Dacians and Getae.
In other words we cannot really tell.
We may note the various possibilities while concentrating on regions in the west
where Israelites appear to have formed a majority and to have had a determining influence.
Extracts from,
Thayer Watkins,
"The Economy Economic History of Croatia",
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/croatia.htm
<<What appears to be the story is that a subtribe of
Sarmatians, an Iranian-language speaking people from Central Asia, established a kingdom called
White Croatia in what is now southeastern Germany. There was a companion
kingdom called White Serbia in what is now the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.
<<The people whom these Sarmatians ruled were Slavic. In due time the Sarmatian
rulers were assimilated into the Slavic population.
<<In the fourteenth century the kingdoms of White Croatia and White Serbia moved
south into the Balkan Peninsula. Not all of the people of these kingdoms moved
south. There are descendants of those that remained still living in southeastern
Germany where they are known as Sorbs or Wends<.
<<The kingdoms of Croatia and Serbia which were established in the Balkan
Peninsula undoubtably Slavic and non-Slavic populations which were already
living there. The relative proportions of those who were immigrants from White
Croatia versus those who were indigenous is not known. However the non-Slavic
elements of the population were assimilated into the Slavic Croatian culture.
Thus the origins of the Croatians would include the indigenous population,
possible pre-Croatian Slavs, Slavic White Croatians and possibly some remnant of
the Sarmatian rulers of White Croatia.
Croatia
Population ca. 4,500,000 (Serbia has more than 9 million)
Capital
(and largest city) Zagreb
45?48 N, 16?0 E
Croatia shares land borders with Slovenia and Hungary on the north, Serbia on
the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina on the south and east, and Montenegro on the
south, as well as a sea border with Italy to the west. It is a candidate for
membership in the European Union and NATO.
The Croats settled in the Balkans in early 7th century along with Serbs and
formed two principalities: Dalmatia and Pannonia.
[They had come from the Ukraine and before that possibly from the border region
between Iran and Afghanistan].
In 1102, Croatia was politicly absorbed by the Hungarian Kingdom.
After the 1526 Croatia became a part of the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
After WW1 Croatia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, from
1918-1929, and Kingdom of Yugoslavia, from 1929-1941.
In 1941-1945 an Axis puppet-state known as the Independent State of Croatia was
set up, by the Ustasha which began to exterminate Serbs, Gypsies, Jews, and
other non-Croatian people.
Most Croatians at that time did not support the Ustasha but rather the anti-Axis
partisans.
Tito the partisan leader was himself a Croat.
In WW11 roughly speaking the Albanians helped save Jews, and so did the Serbs.
The Serbian opposition to Germany delayed the invasion of Russia by a month thus
exposing the German forces to the Russian Winter which they were not prepared for.
Bosnian Muslims served in the SS and Croatian Ustashi engaged in exterminations.
After the victory of the Allies, Croatia became a constitutive republic of
Yugoslavia.
In 1991 Croatia declared independence, and a long and bloody war was fought
(originally between the Croatian government and the Yugoslav People's Army), and
then mutating into a conflict between independent Croatia and the Serbs who
lived in Croatia, with the support of Serbia proper. The war ended with a
Croatian victory and the fleeing of most of the Serbs from their homes in
Croatia to refugee camps in Serbia in 1995. [Germany had been actively involved
in assisting the Croats].
The Croats took over border areas of Bosnia that contained sizeable Croat
minorities and expelled Serbs and Bosnians who had lived there.
Serbia also fought against Bosnians in border regions and Albanians in Kosovo.
This led to interventions by NATO against Serbia.
Croatia in effect received backing by Germany and the EU whereas Serbia did not.
Leading elements in Britain and Israel were inclined to be pro-Serbian.
The original territory of Bosnia has been divided into a predominantly Serbian
section ruled by Serbia and "The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina" which is described as an
"an uneasy alliance of Bosnian Muslims and Croats" and we may assume the Croatians are effectually in control.
Croatia
Industrial Sector represents 27% of Croatia?s total economic output and
agriculture represents 6%.
Agricultural sector in Croatia started to thrive in recent years; exports of
blue water fish experienced a surge in demand especially from Japan and South
Korea. Croatia is a strong producer of organic foods and much of it as of late
is being exported to EU as are Croatian wines, olive oils and lavender.
Tourism is a notable source of income during the summer. With over 8.9 million
foreign tourists in 2006 generating a revenue of over 7 billion euros, Croatia
is ranked as eighteenth most popular tourist destination in the world.
The population of Croatia has been stagnating over the last decade. The
1991?1995 war in Croatia had previously displaced large parts of the population
and increased emigration. Some Croats who fled the country during the war are
returning. The natural growth rate is minute or negative (less than ? 1%), as
the demographic transition has been completed half a century ago. Average life
expectancy is approximately 75 years, and the literacy rate is 98.5%.
See also:
Croatia and the Nazis- Still with us!
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3166.htm
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/croatia.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia
http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/et01.html
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Croatia-HISTORY.html
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