Vrednote u Hrvatskoj i Hrvatska kao vrednota

Abstract

In the Republic of Croatia, as a country which in the recent past has had the experience of transitioning from a totalitarian regime to a democracy, suffered through war and its repercussions, undergone privatization along with impoverishment of a significant proportion of its population, and joined the European Union, the issue of national values should be crucial in terms of political, as well as intellectual elite, because only by protecting Croatian values can its people preserve their recognisability and identity. One observable problem at all levels of Croatian society is the escape from traditional values which are often seen as conservative and archaic. That same values are sometimes replaced by more likeable modern or postmodern variants which are presented as more desirable and acceptable in regards to the traditional values nurtured through generations. This article relies on the results of the European Values Study in 2008 which show the modernization of Croatian society, but also the importance of traditional values such as marriage, family, children, religiousness, which are stated in the book Values in Croatia and Europe: A Comparative Analysis.