Vladko Macek and the Croatian peasant defense in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Between 1936 and 1941, the Croatian Peasant Party, headed by Vladko Macek, operated two militias the Hrvatska seljacka zatita (HSZ) or Croatian Peasant Defense in the villages and the Hrvatska gradanska zastita (HGZ) or Croatian Civil Defense in the urban centers. Even though it is well known that these units played an important role in stopping police violence against the Croatian peasantry, there has been precious little attention paid to them up to now. An examination of the activity of the HSZ in particular can throw light not only on Maceks complicated relations with the Yugoslav government, but also on his relations with Pavelic and the fascist Ustaa movement as well as on the nature of the interwar Kingdom. In a word, the mere fact that Macek saw the need to create a peasant self-defense force speaks volumes about the lawlessness prevailing in that country at the time.