Thread by @Sven_Milekic

As Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) is marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the 1990s President Franjo Tuđman, celebrating him as the founder of modern and democratic Croatia, I'll shed a light on his 75th birthday in 1997, just before he was re-elected as president. 🧵 1

1997 was an important year for Tuđman, a few months before he came back from the USA where he treated his growing cancer (the fact that was hidden from the public); the final year of UN control over Eastern Croatia and Vukovar; presidential elections; battling growing dissent 2

in Croatia and abroad; his undemocratic practices against the press and opposition, when Tuđman rejected recognition of elections results according to which opposition coalition won the elections in Zagreb. Tuđman initiated the 'Zagreb Crisis', leaving the city without govt' 3

for a year and a half, after 2 opposition representatives were enticed to join HDZ. All these left Tuđman & his regime nervous, so their solution was to boost his image abroad, while, at the same time they 'turned the volume' on his autocratic style in the country. Tasked with 4

boosting his image abroad was film director Jakov Sedlar, who made the documentary (narrated by Martin Sheen) 'Tudjman: Croatian George Washington', where he (unsuccessfully) tried to re-package him as the founder of the state for the US audience.
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(Sedlar did a similar thing a few days ago, by making a docu-fiction film about Tuđman, played by former Hollywood star Kevin Spacey, ostracised by the film industry due to his ongoing sexual abuse case. Pointless to say, Sedlar was again unsuccessful). balkaninsight.com/2022/01/17/cro… 6

Back to 1997, Sedlar, bankrolled by the government, hired scriptwriter @joetrip to write Tuđman's official biography in English that would whitewash all: war crimes in Croatia, ethnic chauvinism, Croat-Bosniak war, corruption, and the undemocratic character of his reign. This 7

plan also blew in the regime's face as Tripician did not want to take part in such clear and unscrupulous propaganda and he wrote a book that revealed a lot of mentioned transgressions titled 'In Tito's Shadow' (with whom Tuđman indeed was fascinated).
balkaninsight.com/2017/05/03/pro… 8

And the most perverse thing followed as the whole state was used to mark Tuđman's 75th birthday, only a month before the presidential elections, in the style of monarchs or authoritarian leaders, like, among others, Tito. Thus, first, the Central bank made special medallions 9

with his image, something that cannot be found for any ruling and living democratic leader anywhere. Then, Tuđman's closest associates in the government were tasked with organising his birthday celebration with prestigious guests of honour and a live broadcast on national TV. 10

In the end, the speaker of the Parliament, his friend and academic Vlatko Pavletić was chosen as the one who will deliver the speech in front of Tuđman, retelling the President's life story in the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. His speech praised Tuđman and framed his 11

life within the ruling nationalist ideology as everything he did, even if they were transgressions, was done to found independent Croatia. After the speech, President's Culture Advisor Zlatko Vitez directed a theatre play 'Seh križneh putov konec i kraj [Of Ways of the Cross 12

the Final End]', in which Vitez made an overview of all historical figures that unsuccessfully fought for independent Croatia - even Tito, who was mentioned but not physically represented. In the play, Tuđman is presented as the Messiah, the immortal king whose transcendental 13

the presence will be felt forever. This unprecedented misuse of state to celebrate elected officials reminded scholar Lada Čale Feldman of the way French absolute rulers performed their power in the public. Not democratically elected officials. End

with directing