Croatia in World War I: Empire, Collapse, and the Birth of Yugoslavia (The Story of Croatia)

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Croatia in World War I: Empire, Collapse, and the Birth of Yugoslavia by Adrian E. Markham explores a defining and often overlooked chapter in Croatian history. Beginning in the final years of the Austro Hungarian Monarchy, the book follows Croatia as it entered the Great War as a loyal imperial province, its soldiers sent to fight across Galicia, the Balkans, and the Italian front. As the conflict deepened, the strain of war reshaped political life, economic stability, and the daily experience of civilians at home.Markham traces not only the course of the conflict, but the gradual collapse of imperial authority and the emergence of new political possibilities. From the trenches along the Soča River to the streets of Zagreb, he captures a society caught between loyalty to a fading empire and the uncertain promise of national transformation.The book also follows the rise of the South Slav idea, as leaders in exile and at home worked to redefine Croatia’s future. The disintegration of the Habsburg state and the creation of a new kingdom marked a decisive turning point, one that carried both hope and tension.Drawing on archival records, military documents, and contemporary accounts, Croatia in World War I presents a clear and grounded portrait of a nation in transition, revealing how the collapse of empire reshaped Croatia and set the course for the turbulent decades that followed.