Slavonski Brod through centuries

Trough centuries   Turkish authority   Habzburg Monarchy   Brod na Savi   I World War   II World War  

Slavonski Brod in 20th Century - First World War

The great and rapid inflow of Hungarians in Brod in the 19th and the 20th century should look for in economic, political reasons as in their settlements. For purpose of a such policy was established the Hungarian school in 1895. It was built as the representative building near the railway station which was demolished in the bombarding in The second world war. The hall-mark to the public, cultural and political life of Brod during the 19th century gave respectable and wealthy family Brlić who linked Brod up with civil Croatia and the other countries of the Austrian Empire and Europe. In family Brlić, the ideas of spiritual, political and territorial unity of the Croatians and South-Slav countries found consistent pleaders and with their authority this family influenced on other Brod inhabitants, in order to accept them in the most sincere way.

Since the eighties in the last century, it was dominant the national idea which was compromiseless emphasised (the God and the Croats only) by the promoter and the ideologist of the Law party the Ph.D. Ante Starčević. On all the elections (except in 1910.) till the World War One, the law party was winning in Brod (after the split its frankovac wing) which helped inhabitants to distinguish themselves in their political ideas. The great role in the spreading of "starćević" national ideas had the "Posavska Hrvatska" weekly. In the period between two world wars, Brod was in economic rise and was one of the most developed centres of The kingdom of Yugoslavia. In the carriage and bridges` factory, founded in 1921., there were 1700 workers employed from Brod and surroundings, in the wood and timber industry about 500, and in traffic and the railway, about 2300 workers. Just before The second world war, when Brod had 15.000 inhabitants, almost half of them lived of industry, handicraft and trade. The leading political strength in Brod during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, like in the whole Croatia of that period, was the Croatian peasant party, but the real power was in the hands of local and the brought along Serbs, monarchists, the integral Yugoslav and Croats loyal to "king and homeland". By establishing the Banovina Hrvatska in 1939. the relation of the political forces in Brod would change to the core because the Croatian country party as the ruling one, made extreme personnel changes in the town government and put its people on every managing place.