Ante Pavelić
The founding leader of the brutal Ustaše regime, a Nazi puppet state in Croatia responsible for the systematic murder of hundreds of thousands during World War II.
1889–1959 (age 70)·Dictator of the Independent State of Croatia from 1941 to 1945·Birthday: July 14·The Lost Generation
Biography
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian ultranationalist lawyer and politician whose deep-seated animosity towards Yugoslav unity defined his life. After the kingdom banned his separatist activities, he fled abroad, founding the Ustaše terrorist movement in 1929, which orchestrated the assassination of King Alexander of Yugoslavia. His moment came in 1941 with the Axis invasion; installed as the Poglavnik (leader) of the newly created Independent State of Croatia, his regime embarked on a campaign of horrific violence to create an ethnically pure Croatia. The Ustaše ran concentration camps like Jasenovac, where Serbs, Jews, Roma, and political opponents were murdered with grim efficiency. After the war, he escaped to South America, living under protection until an assassination attempt in 1957 left him with injuries that later contributed to his death. His legacy is one of profound atrocity.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Ante was born in 1889, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ante Was Born
The biggest hits of 1889
Ante's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1889Born
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1902Became a teenager
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Could drive
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could vote
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Turned 21
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 30
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 40
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 50
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 60
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 70
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
Key Achievements
- Founded and led the Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929.
- Served as the dictator of the Axis puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia, from 1941 to 1945.
- Established a network of concentration camps, including Jasenovac, where tens of thousands were systematically killed.
Did You Know?
He survived an assassination attempt in 1957 in Argentina, shot twice by a Serbian assassin but did not die from the wounds.
Pavelić was granted asylum in post-war Argentina by Juan Perón's government.
He died from complications related to his assassination-attempt injuries in Madrid, Spain, in 1959.
“A Croatia free and independent, or there will be no Croatia.”
