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Horrors of War: Historical Reality and Philosophy
"This is a substantially revised version of the book Bespuca povijesne zbiljnosti: rasprava o povijesti i filozofiji zlosilja (Wastelands of historical reality: discussion on history and philosophy of aggressive violence)"--P. ix.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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About the author
Franjo Tuđman
24 books1 followerCroatian politician. Following the country's independence from Yugoslavia he became the first President of Croatia.
In his youth he fought during World War II as a member of the Yugoslav partisans. After his military career, he worked as a historian until coming into conflict with the regime. He lived relatively anonymously in the following years until the end of communism, whereupon he began his political career by founding the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in 1989.
He became President in 1990, as the HDZ won the first post-communist multi-party elections, and a year later he proclaimed Croatian independence. He was re-elected twice and remained in power until his death in 1999.
In his youth he fought during World War II as a member of the Yugoslav partisans. After his military career, he worked as a historian until coming into conflict with the regime. He lived relatively anonymously in the following years until the end of communism, whereupon he began his political career by founding the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in 1989.
He became President in 1990, as the HDZ won the first post-communist multi-party elections, and a year later he proclaimed Croatian independence. He was re-elected twice and remained in power until his death in 1999.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 14, 2017
Probably the strangest book I read.
Franjo was writing about everything, history (ancient, modern, you name it), philosophy, philosophy of history, Jasenovac and Bleiburg myth, his biography, political option, moral, war, peace, religion, attacking his enemies, relationship between Serbs and Croats, genocide, Jew, I mean there is so many topics here it is quite difficult to tell what is core of this book.
It is hard to review everything written in this book, clearly, Franjo wasn't objective, he made his mind about the subject, then tried to squeeze everything into that mold. I won't say there isn't truth in what he wrote, just it isn't really approach historian should have.
one thing I must give him credit for is exposing Jasenovac myth that there were murdered 700 000 or more people, he did have bollocks, he showed that on several occasions.
Because this book is written by Croatian first president it has additional weight, because it gives an insight of Tuđmans thinking.
I could say so much more but this is a short review, I will end with my opinion that Franjo is at the same time great and horrible historian.
Franjo was writing about everything, history (ancient, modern, you name it), philosophy, philosophy of history, Jasenovac and Bleiburg myth, his biography, political option, moral, war, peace, religion, attacking his enemies, relationship between Serbs and Croats, genocide, Jew, I mean there is so many topics here it is quite difficult to tell what is core of this book.
It is hard to review everything written in this book, clearly, Franjo wasn't objective, he made his mind about the subject, then tried to squeeze everything into that mold. I won't say there isn't truth in what he wrote, just it isn't really approach historian should have.
one thing I must give him credit for is exposing Jasenovac myth that there were murdered 700 000 or more people, he did have bollocks, he showed that on several occasions.
Because this book is written by Croatian first president it has additional weight, because it gives an insight of Tuđmans thinking.
I could say so much more but this is a short review, I will end with my opinion that Franjo is at the same time great and horrible historian.
April 18, 2022
Honestly, rating an ethnic cleanser's book feels weird. He was profoundly evil. Not just for his brutal acts of ethnic cleansing for the disinformation campaign of rewritting history which Perica discusses in his book. A book written by holy terror Tudjman. Tudjman expelled 300 000 in what was the largest mass exodus of people since WWII. He also endorsed the murder of many thousands of Serbs which happened throughout the 90s. In this terrible book, Tudjman shamelessly says that only 3000-4000 were killed by the Ustase when the real figure was 320 000 - 500 000 + Serbs (according to the USHMM and Yad Vashem.) Tudjman was a shameless Ustase sympathizer and revisionist. Consequently, this book is nothing more than revisionist propaganda.
April 17, 2022
His major work, Bespuća, published in Zagreb in 1989, is a rabidly anti-Semitic tract which blames the Jews for the Holocaust, while justifying Hitler's "final solution." Thus he writes:
"Whenever a movement, people, state, alliance, or ideology faces an adversary that threatens its survival or the establishment of its supremacy, everything possible will be done, and all means available used, to subdue or destroy the opponent. In such confrontations, nothing but the risk of self-destruction precludes a resort to genocide."
And on the Nazi regime: "The idea of the world mission of the German Herrenvolk, seen as the highest race, was also based on the assumption of a final solution of the Jewish question, meaning that Jews were meant to disappear definitively from German and European history. An explanation of this should be sought - in addition to historical roots - in the fact that German imperialism, for geopolitical reasons, was primarily directed towards the domination of Europe. As such, Hitler's new European order could be justified by the need both to remove Jews (more or less undesirable in all European countries) as well as to correct the Versailles (French-English) wrong."
He goes on to note with approval an early Nazi scheme to send the Jews of Europe to Madagascar, declaring that "gradual extermination" was later made necessary by the protracted military campaign in Russia.
He cites the Old Testament to prove that for the Jews "genocidal violence is a natural apparition, in line with man and his social nature... Violence is not only permissible, it is advisable; moreover it is in accord with mighty Jehovah's words; it is to be used whenever necessary for the revival or renewal of the kingdom of the chosen people." Finally he makes the outrageous claim that the Ustashe concentration camp at Jasenovac, where tens of thousands of Jews were exterminated, was run by the Jews themselves.
"Whenever a movement, people, state, alliance, or ideology faces an adversary that threatens its survival or the establishment of its supremacy, everything possible will be done, and all means available used, to subdue or destroy the opponent. In such confrontations, nothing but the risk of self-destruction precludes a resort to genocide."
And on the Nazi regime: "The idea of the world mission of the German Herrenvolk, seen as the highest race, was also based on the assumption of a final solution of the Jewish question, meaning that Jews were meant to disappear definitively from German and European history. An explanation of this should be sought - in addition to historical roots - in the fact that German imperialism, for geopolitical reasons, was primarily directed towards the domination of Europe. As such, Hitler's new European order could be justified by the need both to remove Jews (more or less undesirable in all European countries) as well as to correct the Versailles (French-English) wrong."
He goes on to note with approval an early Nazi scheme to send the Jews of Europe to Madagascar, declaring that "gradual extermination" was later made necessary by the protracted military campaign in Russia.
He cites the Old Testament to prove that for the Jews "genocidal violence is a natural apparition, in line with man and his social nature... Violence is not only permissible, it is advisable; moreover it is in accord with mighty Jehovah's words; it is to be used whenever necessary for the revival or renewal of the kingdom of the chosen people." Finally he makes the outrageous claim that the Ustashe concentration camp at Jasenovac, where tens of thousands of Jews were exterminated, was run by the Jews themselves.
March 23, 2020
First part about his career in Yugoslavia, second part about the views on war from different perspectives through out history, third part on how the crimes of Ustasa were used to deprive the Croatians the right of self-determination.
Tudjman states that the crimes of opposing forces are always over exaggerated and the own crimes are minimized. He names Jasanovac and the Bleiburg killings as examples.
Tudjman states that the crimes of opposing forces are always over exaggerated and the own crimes are minimized. He names Jasanovac and the Bleiburg killings as examples.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews