Cooperazione e conflitto in Istria: Il caso del distretto di Volosca-Abbazia.

The object of analysis in this article is the history of public administration in the Istrian district of Volosca-Abbazia/Volosko-Opatija in the decades before the First World War. The predominantly Slav inhabited area on the eastern coast of Istria underwent a marked economic upturn in this period, due to health tourism in Abbazia/Opatija. This created new employment opportunities and led to immigration from nearby Croatian districts, as well as from Italy. Politically, the Istrian autonomists, who dominated in a number of localities, favoured a hybrid culture and worked closely with Italian-speakers. However, this movement came under pressure from Croatian national politicians, which led to frequent conflicts at the administrative level in a number of communities, as well as between church parishes and village councils. Some of these conflicts even became a matter of debate in the Austrian parliament and the state administration sought to adopt an intermediary role in such disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]