Nikola Mandić | |
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| 2nd Prime Minister of the Independent State of Croatia | |
| In office 2 September 1943 – 8 May 1945 | |
| Poglavnik | Ante Pavelić |
| Preceded by | Ante Pavelić |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| 4th President of theDiet of Bosnia | |
| In office 1912 – 9 July 1914 | |
| Preceded by | Safvet-beg Bašagić |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1869-01-20)20 January 1869 |
| Died | 7 June 1945(1945-06-07) (aged 76) |
| Nationality | Croat |
| Party | Croat People's Union (1910–1919) Croatian Popular Party (1919–1929) Ustaše (1929–1945) |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Profession | Lawyer,politician |
Nikola Mandić (Croatian pronunciation:[nǐkolamǎnditɕ]; 20 January 1869 – 7 June 1945) was a Croatian politician and one of the leading political figures in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austrian-Hungarian rule. He also served as a Prime Minister of theIndependent State of Croatia (NDH) duringWorld War II. He was executed by theYugoslav Partisans as a war criminal on 7 June 1945.
Nikola Mandić was born in the town ofTravnik on 20 January 1869,[1] to aBosnian Croat family.[2] He finishedgymnasium inSarajevo and went on to study law at theUniversity of Vienna, where he received adoctorate in law in 1894. Mandić returned to Sarajevo and worked as a judicial clerk before becoming an attorney.[1]
In the early 1900s, Mandić became one of the most influentialCroat politicians inBosnia andHerzegovina.[1] In 1907, he and other Croat politicians founded a political party known as theCroat People's Union (Croatian:Hrvatska narodna zajednica, HNZ). The party received approval fromAustria-Hungary in November 1907, and Mandić was elected party leader at its founding assembly in February 1908. At the time, he was serving as deputy mayor of Sarajevo.[3]
On 6 October 1908, Austria-Hungary officiallyannexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mandić unconditionally supported the move, reasoning that the annexation would make it easier for the two regions to later be united with the nominally autonomousKingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. He also believed that Bosnia and Herzegovina should receive the status of "empire's land", ruled jointly by both Austria and theKingdom of Hungary.[4]
Mandić became a member of theDiet of Bosnia (Bosanski sabor) in 1910, representing the HNZ. He was electedSpeaker of the Diet in 1911 and was named vice-governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina by decree of EmperorFranz Joseph. Mandić was also the founder and first president of the Croatian Central Bank (Hrvatska centralna banka, HCB), as well as its subsidiary, the Agricultural Bank of Sarajevo (Poljoprivredna banka u Sarajevu, PBS). He also founded a Croatian choir called "Trebević". Mandić remained a member of the Bosnian Diet until Austria-Hungary's dissolution in November 1918.[1]
Following the establishment of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Mandić was chosen to become a deputy in the National Assembly, but never took office because prominent Serbian politicians vetoed his appointment.[citation needed]
In 1920, Mandić was appointed to theconstituent assembly of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, representing theCroatian Popular Party (Hrvatska pučka stranka). At the assembly, he became notable as an advocate of Croatian, as opposed to Yugoslav, political aims. He expressed his opposition to KingAlexander'sVidovdan Constitution and voted against it on 28 June 1921, when it was passed with 223 voted for, 35 voted against and 161 abstained. Disappointed by the outcome of the vote, Mandić tendered his resignation from the assembly.[1]
Mandić was living as a retired government functionary at the time theIndependent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH) was declared. He worked as an attorney and served as president of the Sarajevo Chamber of Attorneys until September 1943. On 2 September 1943,PoglavnikAnte Pavelić offered Mandić the post of Prime Minister of the Independent State of Croatia. Mandić accepted the offer. His appointment was met with mixed feelings, and infuriated politicians such asMladen Lorković, Mile Starčević andVladimir Košak, some of whom threatened to resign due to the decision. They brought up Mandić's age and questioned whether he would be able to serve to the best of his ability.[1]
Immediately, Mandić became involved in discussions with theCroatian Peasant Party (Croatian:Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) regarding the composition and character of theGovernment of the Independent State of Croatia. He advocated the creation of a coalition government, while prominent HSS memberAugust Košutić voiced support for a clerical,partisan one which distanced theUstaše from Croatian state politics. The discussions ended in late September 1943, with no political compromise reached.[1]
On 1 March 1944, Mandić and CroatianForeign MinisterStijepo Perić visitedAdolf Hitler at theSchloss Klessheim, aBaroque palace located 4 km (2.5 mi) west ofSalzburg.[1] GermanForeign MinisterJoachim von Ribbentrop was also in attendance.[5] At the meeting, Hitler stressed that he considered Croatia an ally and partner and maintained that Serbia was merely a conquered state, stating: "[the] Serbs will never be [Germany's] friends".[6] Mandić and Perić complained to Hitler that the staff officers of the13thWaffen Mountain Division of the SSHandschar (1st Croatian) were promoting the autonomy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hitler disagreed with Mandić's assessment of the division, but later reached a compromise with Muslim autonomists whereby the division would remain in Bosnia and be used to defend its Muslim population. In return, the autonomists promised Hitler that they would support Bosnia and Herzegovina's integration into the NDH.[6]
Mandić led an NDH government delegation to Sarajevo in late April 1944. There, he was presented with a memorandum documenting the persecution of Muslims by the Ustaše. Croatian politicians quickly condemned the memorandum, calling it "one of the greatest Muslim assaults...on the sovereignty and unity of the NDH."[7] In March 1945, Mandić called for NDH citizens of all ethnicities to voice their thoughts on the Ustaše, the war and thecommunistYugoslav Partisans. With his backing, the NDH drafted a memorandum to BritishField MarshalHarold Alexander, Commander-in-Chief Middle East and commander of the18th Army Group in Tunisia, expressing a desire to defect to theAllies in the wake of Hitler's death. The memorandum was ignored.[1]
Together with the rest of the Croatian government, Mandić left Zagreb on 8 May 1945 in theIndependent State of Croatia evacuation to Austria. He surrendered to the British on 15 May and demandedpolitical asylum. The British ignored his requests and handed him over to the Partisans three days later, on 18 May. Mandić was charged with various war crimes and put before a military tribunal in Zagreb. Mandić was convicted and sentenced to death on 6 June 1945. His execution was carried out the following day.[1]
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