ABSTRACT
In 1717 the Emperor Charles VI created two free ports for the empire: Trieste and Fiume. Fiume continued to suffer when the French were replaced by the Austrians. The year 1848, was a major turning point for much of Western Europe, had great significance for Fiume as well, for it marked the beginning of the city's one long period of Croatian domination, which lasted until 1867. The easiest yardstick against which to measure the economic development of Fiume is that of the growth of her sister-city on the Adriatic, Trieste. The citizens of Fiume found themselves living under intense pressure and in an increasingly desperate economic condition. The Fiumans protested against the arbitrary treatment of their political desires, only to find the Hungarians prepared to escalate the conflict. A brief survey of the history of the city helps to understand many of the attitudes that Fiumans carried into the postwar world.
