The Croatian Spring was a political conflict that took place from 1967 to 1971 in the Socialist Republic of Croatia, at the time one of six republics comprising Yugoslavia and ruled by the League of Communists of Croatia (SKH). It was marked by a series of economic reforms. Reformers within the SKH, aligned with the Croatian cultural society Matica hrvatska, came into conflict with conservatives. A variety of grievances were aired, including demands for increased autonomy, opposition to real or perceived overrepresentation of Croatian Serbs in Croatia and disagreement over whether the Croatian language was distinct from Serbo-Croatian. The conflict also increased the popularity of expressions of Croatian culture. Plans were made to amend the constitution. The Yugoslav leadership intervened, compelling the SKH leadership to resign (headline pictured). Nevertheless, most demands were later adopted, ushering in a form of federalism that contributed to the subsequent breakup of Yugoslavia. (Full article...)