Greetings from Croatia!

[Red Poplar]

Hello everyone, I just recently discovered this site and I'm looking forward to learning something new about the Left.

Something about me - I'm 19, an economics student from Croatia. As you may or may not know, socialism is a very controversial subject in my country, since many affiliate it with SFR Yugoslavia, WWII partisans and their war crimes. I'm concerned by the growing popularity of nationalism and even fascism in my country.

The issues that attracted me to the Left are materialism, snobbism, shallowness of the young people around me who only care about expensive clothes, cellphones etc. that make them look like a part of the "elite". Sad. Furthermore, welfare is being cut recently, so our healthcare is no longer completely free as it used to be, pensions are low, unemployment is high, factories are being sold to foreigners... a rather concerning situation for a young person like me.

Finally, I hope I'll find many interesting subjects to discuss on this forum. Wish me good luck! :)

[EvilRedGuy]

Welcome to RevLeft! :)

[Q]

Welcome :)

Have you been politically active already?

[Red Poplar]

Unfortunately, no, I haven't been politically active because I can't seem to find a proper party or organization. We only have a social democratic party, but I disagree with many of their policies, especially their pro-EU approach. However, I found out about an anti-fascist youth club founded recently in my town, so I'll check it out in the near future.

[Q]

Unfortunately, no, I haven't been politically active because I can't seem to find a proper party or organization. We only have a social democratic party, but I disagree with many of their policies, especially their pro-EU approach. However, I found out about an anti-fascist youth club founded recently in my town, so I'll check it out in the near future.

Why do you have an anti-EU stance? I mean, sure, the EU is a "bosses club", but aren't nationstates the same? Shouldn't we deal with the EU and take it further instead of simply opposing it? I refer to my thread here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/despite-crisis-further-t141677/index.html) for further discussion and hope you will post there too.

[Red Poplar]

Well, I am an internationalist, but a patriot as well. From my point of view, the EU seems to exploit the "smaller" countries such as mine. EU, or some of its members, has been blackmailing Croatia for years now, knowing that our government is pro-European, so we sold our war-winning generals to ICTY and changed many laws in their favor. I may be wrong, but EU seems like an oppressor to me, at least in its current state.

[Q]

Well, I am an internationalist, but a patriot as well. From my point of view, the EU seems to exploit the "smaller" countries such as mine. EU, or some of its members, has been blackmailing Croatia for years now, knowing that our government is pro-European, so we sold our war-winning generals to ICTY and changed many laws in their favor. I may be wrong, but EU seems like an oppressor to me, at least in its current state.

Yes, like I said, the EU is a "bosses club" as it is an integration project based on the needs of capital (historically mainly those of Germany and France). However, nations such as Croatia play a similar role when they can to other countries (I can imagine Croatia playing a dominant role over Bosnia for example).

While this is an important factor, I think socialists must be aware (and must stress to others in our propaganda) the very much progressive character of European unification, even if it is only partly and on a contradictory basis. What we should avoid, in my opinion, is leftwing nationalism, or as you call it "patriotism", as a political position in opposition to the EU.

Like I said in the thread I linked in my previous post, I think we should take up again the slogan of Marx and Engels for the "undivided republic", be it on a European scale. Marx and Engels defended it in the context of a pre-unification Germany, not out of some romantic nationalist notion, but out of the fact that it would immensely strengthen the working class. And yes, despite that Prussia would be dominant within this German unification project.

Please continue this discussion in the thread I linked in my previous post though as this forum is for introductions only and this is going somewhat offtopic.

[Red Poplar]

Very well, I'll check out your thread.

[Veg_Athei_Socialist]

Welcome to revleft:)!

[Nolan]

Welcome.


WWII partisans and their war crimes.

Yeah that's certainly one of the things that sticks out from that time. I'm sure the Croatian media is not biased.

[Red Poplar]

Croatian media is relatively unbiased. It's even more prone to the partisans than the Ustashas (Nazi puppets), since the partisans were anti-fascists. However, the Bleiburg massacre was a completely unnecessary bloodshed in which many innocent Croatian civilians were shot. Tito and his followers had both pros and cons.

[Nolan]

I'm not a fan of Tito, but I was being somewhat sarcastic.

[Red Poplar]

Sorry if I didn't quite get you, I just don't know how people from abroad look at that situation, since it's highly controversial and discussed even after 70 years.

[gorillafuck]

Yeah that's certainly one of the things that sticks out from that time. I'm sure the Croatian media is not biased.
Why are you so goddamn snotty? Let alone in an introductions thread.

Welcome to revleft, Red Poplar! Hope you stick around.

[RotStern]

Welcome to Revleft! :D

[Reznov]

Nice to have a Croatian on board!

Enjoy your time here, Comrade!

[gorillafuck]

Nice to have a Croatian on board!
He is not the first actually.

[Reznov]

He is not the first actually.

Yeah, I didnt mean it like that.

Fucking grammar Nazis :laugh:

[AK]

Your rep got OWNED.

[Q]

Your rep got OWNED.

Very mature.

Closed.