The author analyzes conditions in the
Croatian village at a time when many
fundamental changes are taking place in
Croatia and when the social future must
be planned in the light of those changes.
He draws the following conclusions:
(1) In Croatia the peasantry, as the
peasant class, disintegrated and was
replaced in the village by several social
strata, more or less connected with land
ownership. However, within this »remnant
of the peasantry« the stratum of modern
market farmers is emerging, and they are
expected to transform the backward
agrarian structure. (2) The size of the
family farm has not undergone any
essential change and mechanization, and
other facets of modernization, have
introduced a certain degree of tension
that must, in a certain number of farms,
lead to production and physical expansion.
(3) Rural social groups lost their basic
mark of autarky and have become more
or less integrated into the overall social
tissue. This was contributed to most by
several waves of urbanization that spread
from cities to the rural area. However,
urbanization marginalized great rural
areas, and it is an important national task
to reintegrate them into the life of the
country. (4) Many villages suffered badly
in the war for the homeland and their
renewall will be hard and demand
scientific preparation. (5) In this crisis
period the Croatian village can cushion
social upheaval, but it will be a terrible
mistake if, because of the needs of the
whole society, the village is made to carry
too great a burden which will block its
already incipient transformation
