The topic of this article is the activity of the Serbian cultural society “Prosvjeta” from its foundation in 1944 to its cessation in the early 1970s and formal abolition in 1980. Due to the fact the historiography has not dealt with this subject to a large extent, the article is mostly based on original materials from the Croatian State Archives fonds HR-HDA-640. Srpsko kulturno društvo “Prosvjeta”. The activity of the society is examined through the work of its Central Committee at its centre, as well as subcommittees-subsidiaries on the ground, in rural areas. It was there that “Prosvjeta”, together with other institutions, played a major role in introducing literacy to the population, building schools, opening libraries and clubs, organizing various courses, lectures and other aspects of cultural, educational and artistic activities.

The connections between “Prosvjeta” and political representatives of Serbs in Croatia within the government institutions of Federal Croatia/People’s Republic of Croatia/Socialist Republic of Croatia (Serbian Councillor Club of ZAVNOH and Central Serbian Committee in Croatia) were also researched, as well as the links with important Serbian politicians filling the state and Party posts in Croatia, who at the same time were also the initiators and leaders of the Serbian institutions founded after the Second World War. “Prosvjeta” had its biggest influence during the post-war period, during the time that, besides the Society in Zagreb within which there also existed its publishing company, bookstore, reading room and papers “Srpska riječ” (later renamed “Prosvjeta”), saw the establishment of the Museum of Serbs in Croatia, Central library, Archives of Serbs in Croatia and “Obilić” singing club. At that time “Prosvjeta” had the support of both the government and the Party because being the part of the People’s Front of Croatia it followed its programme and ideology i.e. that of the Party.

As a Serbian institution, it also served the purpose of channelising the ruling Party strategy of reducing and not emphasising the national differences and spreading “brotherhood and unity”. The leading Serbian politicians during the post-war period in Croatia, especially Duško Brkić, Rade Žigić and Stanko Ćanica Opačić, played a great role in implementing government’s policies, but the position of “Prosvjeta” and other Serbian institutions changed after they criticised the government and soon afterwards relinquished their posts. The institutions were mostly abolished or merged with similar ones, while the role of “Prosvjeta” was reduced to a purely educational one in rural areas. In the late 1960s and early 1970s during the awakening of “Croatian Spring” “Prosvjeta” endeavoured to expand its activity from cultural-educational to political field, which was not taken kindly and in the end caused its abolishment.