Miroslav Tuđman (May 25, 1946 – January 31, 2021) He was a Croatian scientist and politician. He was born in Belgrade as the eldest son of Ankica and Franjo Tuđman (the first president of the Republic of Croatia). He graduated in philosophy and sociology in Zagreb (1970), and then received his master’s degree (1975) and doctorate (1985) on the subject of information sciences. During his career, he distinguished himself as a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, founder of the Institute for Information Studies and Journal National Security and the Future, and as editor-in-chief of professional journals in information science. In the Homeland War (1991–95), he participated as a brigadier of the Croatian Army, and then in 1993 he founded the Croatian Reporting Service (HIS) and was its first director. Later, he led the Croatian True Revival (HIP) party and was a long-time member of the Croatian Parliament (from 2011 until his death). Here we provide a comprehensive overview of the key facts about his life and work, along with relevant sources.
Key events in Miroslav Tuđman’s career
- 1946 – Born on May 25 in Belgrade, in the family of Ankica and Franjo Tuđman.
- 1965 – After graduating from the Zagreb high school, he entered the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, majoring in philosophy and sociology.
- 1970 – Graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb (professor of philosophy and sociology).
- 1975 – Master’s degree on the topic “Knowledge-Logistics Elements of Facts and Notifications”.
- 1985 – PhD in information science with dissertation Information science paradigm.
- 1989–1990 – founded the Institute for Information Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.
- 1993–1998 – founded and led the Croatian Reporting Service (HIS), the first state intelligence agency.
- 2000 – launched an international scientific journal National Security and the Future.
- 2001 – founds the Croatian True Revival (HIP) party and won 7.6% of the vote in the elections for the Zagreb City Council.
- 2009 – He is running for the President of the Republic of Croatia, he gets ~4.09% of the votes in the first round.
- 2011 – He joins the HDZ again and wins his mandate in the Croatian Parliament.
- 2015–2020 – elected as a member of parliament in multiple convocations on HDZ lists.
- 2021 – died on January 31 in Zagreb as a result of COVID-19.
Early life and education
Miroslav Tuđman was born in 1946 in Belgrade, where his father Franjo Tuđman served as a military official. Ankica and Franjo Tuđman had a son Stjepan and a daughter Nevenka after the birth of Miroslav (May 25, 1946). In 1961, the family returned to Zagreb, where Miroslav finished high school (it is interesting that his peers initially teased him because of the Belgrade accent). In 1965, he enrolled in the study of philosophy and sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. He graduated in 1970 with a double degree in philosophy and sociology. His education continued with his master’s thesis in 1975 on the topic “Knowledge-Logistic Elements of Fact and Notice” and a doctorate in 1985 in the field of information sciences. This series of academic qualifications is the starting point for his further work in higher education and science.
Scientific and academic career
During the 1970s and 1980s, Tuđman graded his academic career at the University of Zagreb. After graduation, he became an assistant at the Department of Information Sciences of the Faculty of Philosophy, where he also edited the journal questions. At the end of the 1970s, he worked in the referral center of the University (1972–1977), and then at the Institute for Culture of Croatia (1977–1988). In 1988, he was appointed head of the Department of Documentation at the Department of Information Sciences FFZG, and in 1998 he became a full professor of information sciences. His scientific activity is also reflected in the establishment of the Institute for Information Studies (1989–1990).
- Scientific functions and roles:
1972–1977: Employee of the Referral Center of the University of Zagreb.
1977–1988: employee of the Institute for Culture of Croatia.
1988: appointed head of the Department of Documentation, FFZG.
1998: elected full professor of information sciences.
1989–1990: The first head of the Institute for Information Studies.
2000: starts a magazine National Security and the Future (chief and responsible editor).
In the scientific-teaching sense, Tuđman was very fruitful – he is the author of about 200 scientific and professional papers and a dozen books. Among his publications, works on information science and national security stand out. Through lectures at the University of Zagreb and international conferences, he transferred knowledge from the epistemology of information sciences, knowledge organizations and related fields.
Security and intelligence work
In addition to the academic one, Tuđman distinguished himself in the intelligence and security sector. During the Homeland War (1991–1995), he served in the Croatian Army as a brigadier and led the Center for Strategic Research of the Ministry of Defense. In 1993, he founded and became the first director of the Croatian Reporting Service (HIS), a state intelligence agency. At the same time, he was also a member of the Defense and National Security Council (VONS). In the period 1994-1996. He carried out a thorough reorganization of the then security system, trying to unite intelligence operations. After a short return to the head of HIS in 1999, he left active service in the early 2000s (primarily due to political changes in the country). Tuđman’s work at SIS is considered one of the key founders of the modern Croatian intelligence apparatus.
political career
In political life, Tuđman was active primarily after the end of the war. At the end of the 1980s, he was one of the founders of the then Croatian Social Democratic Party (HSDS). However, at the beginning of the Homeland War, he left his political engagement and joins the HDZ, his father’s party. In the local elections in 2001, he led the independent list for the Assembly of the City of Zagreb, whereby he achieved 7.6% of the votes and received five mandates. In the same year, he founded the Croatian True Revival (HIP) party and became its president. In 2002, HIP joined the parliamentary club with the HDZ, but in the parliamentary elections in 2003, the HIP/HB coalition won only 1.7% of the vote, without crossing the threshold.
In 2009, Miroslav Tuđman ran independently for the President of the Republic of Croatia and won 4.09% of the vote in the first round. In the following years, he returned to the HDZ: in 2010, he participated in the founding of the HRAST movement, but in 2011 he completely transferred to the HDZ, which nominated him as a representative. In the 2011 elections, he entered the Croatian Parliament, and remained in the party until his death. He then renews his mandates in the Parliament in the 2015, 2016 and 2020 elections. In the parliament, he led the Croatian delegation in the NATO assembly and was a member of numerous committees (defense, internal politics and national security, war veterans and inter-partnership).
private life
For a long time, Miroslav Tuđman was married to Vanja Morić, who worked as a journalist and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. He had two daughters with Vanja – Nina and Ivan. The older daughter, Nina Tuđman Vuković, received her doctorate in linguistics and worked at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. There is less public knowledge about younger Ivana – there is little scientific or media information about her. As is known, Miroslav was the younger brother of Stjepan and Nevenka Tuđman. He often pointed out that he was tightly tied to his family and that his family supported him in his life.
Miroslav Tuđman died on January 31, 2021 in Zagreb, after prolonged treatment due to complications caused by coronavirus infection. He was 74 years old at the time of his death. His legacy in politics and science continues to arouse interest – from university colleagues to the general public.
Conclusion
Miroslav Tuđman left a lasting mark in recent Croatian history as an information science scientist, academician and politician. His contribution to the development of information education at the University of Zagreb, as well as the establishment of the national intelligence system, is significant. At the same time, his family position (Franje Tuđman’s son) and political involvement gave him an unusual stage and responsibility. We hope that this review brought you useful and verified information about Miroslav Tuđman. If you have additional questions, comments or experiences related to this topic, we invite you to share them – we attach importance to each comment. For a deeper study, we recommend a review of the mentioned sources and papers.
Sources: Details about the life and work of Miroslav Tuđman are taken from verified public announcements and media articles, as well as official parliamentary pages and scientific memorials. Other relevant data are listed in the cited papers and analyses.
