Why did Tito suppress the Croatian Spring in 1971?

The "Croatian Spring" (1969–71) was a movement characterized by a cultural and national revival in Croatia that eventually culminated in demands for greater autonomy within the Yugoslav federation.1

Josip Broz Tito intervened to suppress the movement because he perceived it as a significant threat to the stability of the state. Specifically, Tito warned that the movement’s nationalist trajectory risked inciting civil war. By 1971, the push for decentralization had created deep cleavages within the communist elite, and Tito acted to prevent the further destabilization of the federation.12

To restore order, Tito reimposed "democratic centralism" by initiating a series of purges and trials. These actions effectively decimated the ranks of Croatian politicians and intellectuals who had led the reformist movement, such as Miko Tripalo and Savka Dabčević-Kučar. While Tito later sought to balance power through a system of "symmetrical federalism" in the 1974 constitution, the suppression of the Croatian Spring ensured that the republics remained under the strict control of their respective single-party regimes.13