This article analyses ethnic nationalism and liberalism as expressed in the views of Croatians in the aftermath of the 1991-5 war -a war during which ethnicnationalist rhetoric played a large role. Because the war was part of systemic change in the nation, including the adoption of more democratic and capitalist social formation, we also anticipated economic and political liberalism to be present among a sizeable portion of the population. We provide an analysis of the structural conditions fostering these sentiments, an analysis potentially applicable to a range of societies presently in transition. Based on 1996 survey interviews (N 5 2,202) conducted throughout Croatia, we show that ethnic nationalism in the Croatian context is more widely shared than is liberalism. The effect of religious fundamentalism, educational attainment and media exposure are as predicted, based on theories of liberalism and nationalism. Wartime experiences and position in the occupational system have a weaker and more mixed influence than hypothesised. Perhaps most importantly, we find that three out of five Croatians embrace both ethnic-national views and views that are distinctly liberal, suggesting that liberal nationalism is now dominant in Croatia. The characteristics of groups holding differing views suggest that recent events and current changes in Croatia bode positively for continued growth of liberal sentiments, but this will not necessarily be at the expense of ethnic nationalism.Post-war Croatia provides an opportunity to examine several critical issues regarding state disintegration and nation formation. As with many nations in transition since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Croatia appears poised between two political agendas. On the one hand, it can continue in the postTudjman era to pursue a politics of ethnic identity that promotes interests and rights associated with being Croatian, assigning all others to the status of
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