Riječka država: od Londonskog pakta i Danuncijade do Rapalla i aneksije Italiji
A historical and political monograph by Ferdo Čulinović (1897–1971), a prominent Croatian legal historian, about the turbulent history of Rijeka from 1915 to 1924, with an emphasis on the Italian occupation and the Treaty of Rapallo.
The work provides a systematic overview of events related to Rijeka from World War I to its final annexation to Italy. Čulinović analyzes in detail:
- The Treaty of London (1915) and secret promises to Italy
- The occupation of Rijeka and its surroundings after 1918
- The D’Annunziata — the entry of Gabriele d’Annunzio and the proclamation of the Italian administration of Rijeka (1919–1920)
- The creation of the Free State of Rijeka
- The negotiations and signing of the Treaty of Rapallo (1920)
- The final annexation of Rijeka to Italy (1924)
The author approaches the topic from a Yugoslav (Croatian) perspective, emphasizing the illegality of Italian actions, expansionism and violence against the Croatian population. As a legal historian, he pays special attention to state and legal issues, international treaties, the status of Rijeka and the violation of the principle of self-determination of peoples.
The book is written in the spirit of Yugoslav historiography of the early socialist period — scientifically, but with a clear ideological stance against Italian imperialism and fascism. It represents one of the first systematic syntheses of the Rijeka issue after World War II.
Today it is considered a classic work on the subject in Croatian historiography, although it was written in a certain ideological context. It is used as important literature for the study of the Rijeka crisis, the Treaty of Rapallo, d’Annunzio’s adventure and Yugoslav-Italian relations in the interwar period.
One copy is available
