Editing Croatian Spring (section)

===SKH factions===
[[File:Mika Tripalo.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Miko Tripalo]] was one of the leaders of the reformist faction of the [[League of Communists of Croatia]].|alt=Photograph of Miko Tripalo facing the camera]]
Initially, the SKH was internally divided over support for {{lang|hr|Matica hrvatska}}, and its leadership remained mostly silent on the matter.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=236}} The party was led by a reformist faction consisting of SKH Secretary of the Central Committee [[Savka Dabčević-Kučar]] and [[Miko Tripalo]], supported by [[Pero Pirker]], [[Dragutin Haramija]], [[Ivan Šibl]], and others.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=249}} Dabčević-Kučar, Tripalo and Pirker assumed the top positions in the SKH in 1969 with Bakarić's support.{{sfn|Rusinow|2007|p=141}} The reformists were opposed by a conservative or anti-reformist faction including Žanko and [[Stipe Šuvar]], [[Dušan Dragosavac]], [[Jure Bilić]], and {{ill|Milutin Baltić|hr}}. In search of support, the conservative faction allied with the Praxis School. Dabčević-Kučar and Tripalo, on the other hand, found support in SKH ranks closer to or associated with {{lang|hr|Matica hrvatska}} such as Đodan and [[Marko Veselica]].{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=249}} In late 1969, Žanko also criticised the SKH leadership as well as Bakarić, accusing them of nationalism and anti-socialist attitudes in an article for {{lang|hr|[[Borba (newspaper)|Borba]]}}. He also wrote a series of articles denouncing {{lang|hr|Vjesnik}}, [[Radio Television Zagreb]], and literary magazine {{ill|Hrvatski književni list|lt=''Hrvatski književni list''|hr}} and [[Bruno Bušić]] as a writer contributing to the magazine. Others accused by Žanko of stirring up nationalist views were writers Šegedin, Gotovac, and [[Tomislav Ladan]]; literary critics [[Vlatko Pavletić]], [[Igor Mandić]] and {{ill|Branimir Donat|hr}}; {{lang|hr|[[Vjesnik u srijedu]]}} [[Weekly newspaper|weekly]] editor [[Krešimir Džeba]] and {{lang|hr|Vjesnik}} political [[columnist]] [[Neda Krmpotić]]; editor of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb]]-published weekly {{lang|hr|[[Glas Koncila]]}} [[Živko Kustić]], historian [[Trpimir Macan]], art historian [[Grgo Gamulin]], as well as economists Đodan, {{ill|Hrvoje Šošić|hr}}, Marko and [[Vladimir Veselica]]. On 19 December, Tito criticised Žanko's actions.{{sfn|Batović|2017|pp=132–134}} In January 1970, Dabčević-Kučar accused Žanko of [[Political unitarism|unitarism]] and of trying to topple the SKH leadership. Žanko was removed from all political functions and the SKH moved closer to {{lang|hr|Matica hrvatska}}'s positions.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=236}} Some sources, including Perović, mark Žanko's dismissal as the beginning of the Croatian Spring.{{sfn|Perović|2012|p=181}}

Throughout, the SKH's central economic demand was that Croatia be permitted to retain more of its foreign currency earnings.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=254}} To this end, the SKH maintained good relations with counterparts from Slovenia and Macedonia, and also attempted to secure the support of the [[League of Communists of Kosovo]]. Due to its rejection of the SKH's economic agenda, the SKS was dismissed as "unionist" by the SKH despite Nikezić's support for other reforms.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|pp=253–254}} The SKH also opposed the under-representation of Croats in the police, security forces, and the military, as well as in political and economic institutions in Croatia as well as across Yugoslavia. The predominance of Serbs in these positions led to widespread calls for their replacement by Croats.{{sfn|Irvine|2007|p=159}} At the federal level, Serbs represented about 39 percent of the Yugoslav population, while Croats accounted for about 19 percent. Serbs were over-represented and Croats under-represented in the [[civil service]] by a factor of two, accounting for 67 percent and nine percent of civil servants, respectively.{{sfn|Batović|2017|p=95}} Similarly, Serbs made up between 60–70 percent of the officer corps of the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA).{{sfn|Dean|1976|p=37}} In Croatia alone, Serbs represented about 15 percent of the population,{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=238}} but accounted for nearly one-quarter of the SKH's members and more than one-half of the police force.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|p=309}}