Ivo Banac facts for kids

Ivo Banac (1947 – 2020) was a famous Croatian-American historian. He was a professor of European history at Yale University. He was also a politician in Croatia. People sometimes called him the "Great Bard of Croatian historiography" because of his important work in history. He passed away at age 73 after an illness.

A Young Historian's Journey

Ivo Banac was born in Dubrovnik, a beautiful city in Croatia, in 1947. When he was 12 years old, in 1959, he moved to the United States with his mother. They joined his father, who had moved there earlier. Sadly, his father died in an accident a year later.

Ivo and his mother then lived in New York City. He studied history at Fordham University and finished in 1969. Later that year, he moved to California. There, he earned two more degrees, including his Ph.D., from Stanford University. Even though he was part of a student group called Students for a Democratic Society, he wasn't very interested in the "flower power" movement that was popular in California at the time.

Teaching and Writing History

From 1972 to 1977, Banac worked at Stanford University. After that, he moved back to the East Coast to teach at Yale University. At Yale, he earned "tenure," which means he got a permanent teaching position. He was also the head of Pierson College twice, which is one of Yale's residential colleges.

In 1984, he wrote a very important book called The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics. This book won a special award called the Wayne S. Vucinich Prize. It was recognized as the best North American book about Russia and Eastern Europe.

Connecting with Croatian Politics

Even while living in the United States, Ivo Banac often visited his home country, Yugoslavia (which is now Croatia). In 1971, he met two important Croatian figures, Vlado Gotovac and Franjo Tuđman. Both of them later became major political leaders in Croatia after communism ended.

Banac stayed good friends with Gotovac for many years. However, he didn't always agree with Tuđman. Despite their differences, Banac invited Tuđman to give a lecture at Yale University in 1990.

In 1990, Banac became a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. This is a very respected group of scientists and artists in Croatia. From 1994 to 1999, he also directed an institute at the Central European University in Budapest.

A Career in Croatian Politics

Starting in 1990, Ivo Banac became active in Croatian politics. He joined the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS). He became a strong critic of the government at the time, especially its policies towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. He often wrote about his views in a newspaper column.

Later, he joined the Liberal Party. He continued to speak out, even when his party joined the government in 2000. Many people were surprised when Banac, who was known for being very independent, became the leader of the Liberal Party. It was even more surprising when he became the Minister of Environmental Protection in 2003. He held this job for only a few months.

In 2003, he was elected to the Sabor, which is like Croatia's main law-making body. After the elections, he wanted all the liberal parties in Croatia to join together. This idea was not supported by everyone, and he eventually left the party in 2005. He then served the rest of his term in Parliament as an independent representative. From 2007 to 2009, Banac was the President of the Croatian Helsinki Committee, a group that works to protect human rights.

In his later years, Banac was a professor emeritus at Yale, meaning he was a retired professor who still had an honorary title. He also directed the Council on European Studies at Yale University.