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How Will Europe Look in the 22nd Century?

A Future Scenario

In the Socialist Republic of Australasia (SRA) a few European descendants met at their Annual General Meeting. One of them, a keen historian, wondered about his European ancestry, as he contemplated his newly created SRA 'European Minority' status.

Research had to be confined to the State Library archives however following the big internet crash of 2071, and the so-called 'End of History'. He had some family heirlooms at home, items which had not been destroyed in the war of 2055, hidden in his parents' cellar. But what were these objects symbolizing: a red and white checkered emblem, and a red and black cap with a log black tassel?

From old maps at the state archives the young Europeans painstakingly copied out names from all over the European continent so that next time they would benefit from a more informed selection from the heavily-guarded books in the vault. By the process of elimination they would hopefully find clues about their European ancestry.

After several months they discovered a connection between the cap with the tassel and some 19th century etchings depicting the so-called Illyrian Coast. Most photographic material had faded beyond recognition however.

But what was this Illyria? It surfaced from time to time on the ancient Roman Empire maps, on maps showing the conquests of Napoleon, or more recently, on maps which showed the European 'Autonomous Cultural Minorities enclaves'.

In the Illyrian documents a word surfaced time and again as the next stage of research was pursued: 'Croatia'. But what was this 'Croatia' and could this have something to do with the Europeans' ancestors?

The seventh so-called 'Balkan Wars', the earthquake in Southern Europe, and the rising sea levels in the Mediterranean basin had caused great damage to historical documents and art works. Monuments and gravestones in this 'Illyria' in the 22nd century, like in the SRS, had been either damaged or bulldozed to create living space.

Does the above view of the future sound far-fetched? It should not.

If the previous century was so different from today, why should the next century not be different?

19th century: European feudal past

The problems which face contemporary researchers of Croats who had lived in Australia over the past 150-200 years are not so different to the above scenario. Old maps and documents could prove challenging for the person who was not familiar with Croatian names, places, and history. Unfortunately, few records which left any distinct, recognizable Croatian symbols remain from past centuries in Australia.

The ethnicity of a Croat can be determined from an Australian naturalization document only by the informed researcher. Often, the Christian name or the surname, and always the place of birth appears in an Italianized form, due to the previous occupation of Dalmatia on the Croatian Adriatic coast. Often the nationality is Austrian, or Italian, etc. and even the port of embarkation was usually from England or one of her colonies, as many Croats worked on ships.

The old Australian census records used to classify Croats as "non-British European". And, even before the name Yugoslavia existed officially, English colonies like Australia used the term "Yugoslav minorities" rather than "Serbs", "Croats", or "Slovens" in their documents.

Learn from History

If Croats today believe that the situation will be any different for their descendants one hundred years from now in Australia, or anywhere else, they are not being realistic. Croats in Australia in fact are not carefully planting the seeds of their proud ancestry in an 'enduring' format for future generations.

It will be as difficult for their great grand children to discover their ancestral roots as it is for us today. Research of the history of Croats in Australia is an expensive, time-consuming, frustrating, and very competitive exercise.


	The Australian archives in Canberra possess an "Album of Identification Photographs" of German (and other) residents interned at Liverpool Camp, NSW (now Holdsworthy Barracks) during World War I. On documentation the internees are described as "overwhelmingly German, with a large number of Slavonic names" The existing old photographs, ordered from the vaults in Canberra (courtesy of Australian Croatian Congress Victoria Museum project committee) reveal extensive damage. Some photographs which have obvious Croatian names remain but are very faded at best.

But at least researchers today have the benefit of the existence of Croatia. The situation a century from now may not offer such golden opportunities.

As I have suggested above, Croats will become a European 'cultural minority' after Serbian and Italian cultural minorities enclaves are created from half of what is left of Croatia today. This process won't occur overnight but following another fifty years of overseas Croatian emigration and European integration.

If the UK and French Socialists, and many other small nations have strong reservations about EU membership, why do the Croatian government and many Croats so wholeheartedly embrace the idea?

Have Croats so quickly forgotten Italian demands during and after WWI, or that Dalmatia has been sold to Venice in the past? And do they realize that it was only after Italian demands were satisfied in Trieste in 19054 that the European Union, as we know it today, could proceed smoothly?

Jean Lunt Marinovic

July 2004