Development of liberal ideals in the Burgeois Society of Dalmatia from enlightment till the appearance of the Illyrian movement

Abstract

Cultural relationship of Dalmatia with other European countries throughout centuries, specially with Italy and France made possible the filtration of liberal ideas. It specially came to expression from the beggining of the period of Enlightment via Franch Encyclopedists, Rationalists, Free Masons, Jacobites, Carbonaries, French, Greek, and Neapolitan revolutionaries to the Mazzini - followers in Italy. Liberal ideas came to Dalmatia via students who studied at Western Universities, via books, newspapers, then through friendships either personal or with relatives and / or other connections. After the French Revolution influences grew which could be seen through formations of masonary lodges, and Carbonary-societies. For tlie French government Masons supported the existing regime while in the changing political situations in Austria Carbonaries, foromer Masons, then followers of the »Young Italia society were considered to be country's enemies. After the Viennese congress Nort-Italian and Dalmatian carbonaries met in the same country. This objectively speaking made it possible to link them together against the same enemy. Against foreign enemies Austrian government defends itself by closed borders, increased censorship, investigations, imprisonments, court processes, and all that in order to defend itself from revolutionary ideas of Western liberalism. All those humain and democratic ideas had a rather weak response all due to underdeveloped social structure of the burgeois society in Dalmatia. It was a rather shy reaction of the relatively thin segment of citizens against the newly imposed absolutism without larger pretentions.