Modernization and the re-formulation of parliamentary parties in Croatia at the turn of the century

Abstract At the turn of the century, parliamentary life in Croatia confirmed the modernization of society. The composition of the Croatian Diet has laid more stress on elected representatives before the appointed members ( Virilists ). This paper will show how the parliamentary elections influenced the formation of new political parties and mobilized public opinion. It will also examine government manipulation through constituency boundaries to diminish the voting power of the opposing party. The unstoppable change of political power directly affected the political landscape, paving the way for a new type of elite. The national question became a very important topic, bringing together different factors on an ethnic basis. At the same time, the economic transition proved the social stratification of the population that affected the existing political system. The paper seeks to fill the mentioned gap in research, reconstruct the inner-party structures, and analyze its leadership. The topic of this paper also includes two cases of territorial units within the Dual Monarchy with most Croats. The examples of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, associated with the lands of the crown of St. Stephen under the Hungarian halves of Monarchy, and Istria as an integral part of Austria presented both how members of parliamentary elites cooperated despite different electoral laws. In this way, the author argues that the various groups and clubs were interconnected. They established political missions based on the integral idea of the modern nation and the perspective of parliamentary affairs as a pillar of constitutionalism.