The “Croatian Issue” and the Croat-Democrat Zdravko Kovačević

Autori donose prijepis programskog teksta istaknutog pripadnika Demokratske stranke slavonsko-srijemskog prostora, odvjetnika i (kako se tada govorilo) kraljevskog javnog bilježnika u Slatini Zdravka Kovačevića. U njemu se iznose razmišljanja o ključnom unutarnjem političkom problemu Kraljevine Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca, nezadovoljstvu Hrvata novonastalim stanjem, s posebnim naglaskom na ideologiju jugoslavenskog unitarizma. Protkana su (zbog slabe očuvanosti stranačkog i drugog arhivskog gradiva) vrijednim (i u historiografiji uglavnom zanemarenim) osobnim iskustvima koja je Kovačević imao u prvim godinama političkog djelovanja u novoj državi. Dokument je popraćen temeljnim podatcima o samom Kovačeviću i kraćom analizom teksta, kao i motivima kojima je potaknut te reakcijama na nj.The authors have provided a copy of the party programme of the lawyer and, as he was referred to at the time, royal notary Zdravko Kovačević in Slatina, a distinguished member of the Democratic Party in the Slavonian-Syrmian area. The text provides reflections on the crucial inner political issue of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the discontent of the Croats with the new conditions, with special emphasis on the ideology of Yugoslav unitarism. They are (due to the poor state of preservation of party political and other archival records) interwoven with Kovačević’s valuable (but mostly disregarded in historiography) personal experience during the first years of his political activities in the new state. The document also provides basic information about Kovačević as well as a brief analysis of the text, his motives and the reactions to it