The Population of Buzet in Istria (1870-1880): The Beginning of Mortality Transition

Unatoč problemima u kojima se istarski seljak nalazio tijekom druge polovice 19. stoljeća, a koji su se očitovali u neriješenim agrarnim odnosima i s tim u vezi otežanim gospodarskim uvjetima, te u političkoj inferiornosti u odnosu na austrijsku upravu i na Talijane kao manjinski narod u Buzetu, demografski pokazatelji ipak daju naznaku pozitivnih promjena u procesu modernizacije koji je već zahvatio Europu, a i pojedine dijelove Hrvatske. U razdoblju od 1870. do 1880. u Buzetu se očituju prvi simptomi demografske tranzicije: od smanjenja mortaliteta i rasta stanovništva, prosječne stope prirodnog prirasta koja nadmašuje 10‰, pa do prilično visoke ženidbene dobi i produljenja ljudskog vijeka, o čemu govori i relativno visok udio starijih ljudi među umrlima. U Buzetu je tranzicija mortaliteta započela produljenjem ljudskog vijeka, a ne smanjenjem smrtnosti dojenčadi.Despite adverse circumstances in which Istrian peasants found themselves during the second half of the nineteenth century—unsettled agrarian relations, economic hardship, negligence on behalf of the Austrian administration in favour of the Italian minority—demographic indicators suggest that certain positive changes in the sense of modernisation had affected Europe and certain Croatian regions. In the period 1870-1880, Buzet demonstrated the first signs of demographic transition: from mortality decline and population increase, average natural growth rate over 10‰, to fairly high age at marriage and higher life expectancy, as evidenced by a relatively high ratio of elderly deaths. In Buzet, mortality transition began with an increased life-span and not with lower infant mortality. The conception pattern, with a noticeable decline during Lent and field work, is similar to that of Croatia on the whole, though better balanced and characterised by modest deviations. Predominance of the autumn over winter marriage peak placed Buzet in line with the regions of southern Croatia