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{{Cquote|''No joy, only pain and tears, is brought by being a part of the Italian Party in Dalmatia. We, the Italians of Dalmatia, retain a single right to suffer.''<ref>A.Bajamonti, ''Discorso inaugurale della Società Politica dalmata'', Spalato 1886</ref>}}

{{Cquote|''No joy, only pain and tears, is brought by being a part of the Italian Party in Dalmatia. We, the Italians of Dalmatia, retain a single right to suffer.''<ref>A.Bajamonti, ''Discorso inaugurale della Società Politica dalmata'', Spalato 1886</ref>}}

=====Narodnjaci=====

=====Narodnjaci=====

*The National Party (People's Party-Narodnjaci) from the Kingdom of Dalmatia (Austro-Hungarian Empire). In the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century this National Party stated:

*The National Party (People's Party-Narodnjaci) from the Kingdom of Dalmatia (Austro-Hungarian Empire). In the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century this National Party stated:

{{Cquote|''According to Costant (Kosta) Vojnovic, one of the principal Dalmatian Slavophile intellectuals, Dalmatia was part of the 'Slav-Hellenic' peninsula and was populated exclusively by the ' Slav race'; there were no Italians in Dalmatia, and so it was necessary to 'nationalize' the schools, the administration, and the courts in order to erase the traces left by Venetian rule and damage it caused. The Italian culture could survive only within the limits of Slav national character of the country and, in any case, without any recognition as a autochthonus element of Dalmatian society.'' <ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=kMXURN7sxh4C&pg=PA65&dq=The+Italians+of+Dalmatia+autochthonous+element+of+dalmatian+society&hl=en&ei=56efTe3kBJTKcaas0fAB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Italians%20of%20Dalmatia%20autochthonous%20element%20of%20dalmatian%20society&f=false The Italians of Dalmatia:] From Italian Unification to World War I by Luciano Monzali (p65)</ref>}}

{{Cquote|''According to Costant (Kosta) Vojnovic, one of the principal Dalmatian Slavophile intellectuals, Dalmatia was part of the 'Slav-Hellenic' peninsula and was populated exclusively by the ' Slav race'; there were no Italians in Dalmatia, and so it was necessary to 'nationalize' the schools, the administration, and the courts in order to erase the traces left by Venetian rule and damage it caused. The Italian culture could survive only within the limits of Slav national character of the country and, in any case, without any recognition as a autochthonus element of Dalmatian society.'' <ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=kMXURN7sxh4C&pg=PA65&dq=The+Italians+of+Dalmatia+autochthonous+element+of+dalmatian+society&hl=en&ei=56efTe3kBJTKcaas0fAB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Italians%20of%20Dalmatia%20autochthonous%20element%20of%20dalmatian%20society&f=false The Italians of Dalmatia:] From Italian Unification to World War I by Luciano Monzali (p65)</ref>}}

[[File:250px-Location Austria Hungary 1914.png|thumb|right||275px|Split was part of the [[Austria|Austro]]-Hungarian Empire]]

[[File:250px-Location Austria Hungary 1914.png|thumb|right||275px|Split was part of the [[Austria|Austro]]-Hungarian Empire]]

There were 2,082 Italians in Spilt according to the 1910 Austrian Census and they were only 9.73% of the total population,<ref>G.Perselli, ''I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste, e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936'', Unione Italiana Fiume-Università Popolare di Trieste, Trieste-Rovigno 1993.</ref> but they had the best economic status in Split society.

There were 2,082 Italians in Spilt according to the 1910 Austrian Census and they were only 9.73% of the total population,<ref>G.Perselli, ''I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste, e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936'', Unione Italiana Fiume-Università Popolare di Trieste, Trieste-Rovigno 1993.</ref> but they had the best economic status in Split society.

This census data had understated the number of Italians in the city area and this mistake seems to be confirmed by a series of subsequent events. Indeed -following the ''Treaty of Rapallo'' (1920)- the Italians of Dalmatia could opt for the acquisition of Italian citizenship instead of that of the  Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia & Slovenia (later renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929)While maintaining residence: despite a violent campaign of intimidation on the part of Yugoslavia, over 900 families of Italian speaking "Spalatini" had exercised the option to be Italians.<ref>Luciano Monzali.''Antonio Tacconi e la comunità italiana di Spalato'' p. 165</ref> Furthermore, in 1927 a census was carried out of Italians living outside Italy. In Split and the  surrounding area there were counted 3,337 Dalmatian Italians.<ref>Luciano Monzali. ''Antonio Tacconi e la comunità italiana di Spalato'' p.167</ref>  

This census data had understated the number of Italians in the city area and this mistake seems to be confirmed by a series of subsequent events. Indeed -following the ''Treaty of Rapallo'' (1920)- the Italians of Dalmatia could opt for the acquisition of Italian citizenship instead of that of the  Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia & Slovenia (later renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929). While maintaining residence, despite a violent campaign of intimidation on the part of Yugoslavia, over 900 families of Italian speaking "Spalatini" had exercised the option to be Italians.<ref>Luciano Monzali.''Antonio Tacconi e la comunità italiana di Spalato'' p. 165</ref> Furthermore, in 1927 a census was carried out of Italians living outside Italy. In Split and the  surrounding area there were counted 3,337 Dalmatian Italians.<ref>Luciano Monzali. ''Antonio Tacconi e la comunità italiana di Spalato'' p.167</ref>  

So, given that about 1,000 Italians (with their families) left the city following its incorporation into the'' Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes'' and estimating a certain percentage of Italians who accepted the "forced"  Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes citizenship, it is really possible that 7,000 Italians in the Split area -as said by Antonio Tacconi- obtained membership in Italian associations of Split in 1918/1919. This number is more than 3 times that registered in the data from the 1910 Austrian Census.

So, given that about 1,000 Italians (with their families) left the city following its incorporation into the'' Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes'' and estimating a certain percentage of Italians who accepted the "forced"  Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes citizenship, it is really possible that 7,000 Italians in the Split area -as said by Antonio Tacconi- obtained membership in Italian associations of Split in 1918/1919. This number is more than 3 times that registered in the data from the 1910 Austrian Census.