other · Balkans and Hungary

Independent State of Croatia

1941 CE – 1945 CE · capital Zagreb

Axis puppet state ruled by Ante Pavelić's Ustaše, notorious for genocide against Serbs, Jews and Roma during the Second World War.

Origins

As German forces invaded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Ustaše leader Slavko Kvaternik proclaimed the Independent State of Croatia in Zagreb on 10 April 1941, ending the Banovina of Croatia. Ante Pavelić returned from Italy as Poglavnik. The state included Croatia and all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but in the Rome Agreements of May 1941 ceded much of Dalmatia to Italy.

Rule and society

The Ustaše regime was a one-party dictatorship under German and Italian protection, with a nominal king, the Italian Prince Aimone, as Tomislav II from 1941 to 1943. It pursued the murder, expulsion and forced conversion of Serbs and the extermination of Jews and Roma, in camps such as Jasenovac. Much of its territory was contested by Partisans and Chetniks.

Decline and legacy

As Partisan forces advanced, the state collapsed in May 1945. Its troops and civilians fleeing to Austria were turned back at Bleiburg and many were killed by the Partisans. Pavelić escaped to Argentina. The territory became part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Lineage

Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1918 CE – 1941 CEBanovina of Croatia 1939 CE – 1941 CEIndependent State of Croatia

Connections (3)

More states of Balkans and Hungary →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Independent State of Croatia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/independent-state-of-croatia
MLA
“Independent State of Croatia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/independent-state-of-croatia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Independent State of Croatia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/independent-state-of-croatia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Independent State of Croatia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/independent-state-of-croatia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻