End of the Liberal Government

Maintaining robust public support for Croatian nationalists leading up to the 1972 election, the Liberal Party privately began acknowledging their policy failures. Internal government guidance revealed they had failed to suppress Croatian extremism, creating a split between public and private positions. For the first time, the Liberal Party soberly considered their role in perpetuating violent Croatian nationalism. However, this introspection came too late. The government fell to Labor in December 1972 before implementing policy changes. While Croatian violence likely was not decisive in their electoral defeat, it undermined the Liberal Party’s traditional law-and-order strength, making them appear soft on political violence rather than Labor.