Problemi suvremenog života: Socijalni eseji

This is one of the most important books of Croatian social thought between the two world wars. In this collection of essays, Dr. Milan Ivšić (1902–1976), an economist, sociologist and publicist, sharply and argumentatively analyzes the key problems of contemporary society in the 1930s.

The book covers a wide range of topics: the crisis of the capitalist system, unemployment, social inequality, moral decadence, the influence of technology on man, the position of the peasantry and the relationship between the individual and the collective in new social circumstances. Ivšić writes from a Christian-social perspective, criticizing the cruelty of liberal capitalism, but also the dangers of totalitarian ideologies (communism and fascism).

The essays are written in a clear, lively and engaging style, which makes them accessible even outside the narrow circle of experts. The author demonstrates broad erudition, good knowledge of European conditions and the ability to present complex economic and sociological problems in a way that is understandable to an educated reader.

Published by Matica Hrvatska, the book quickly became a hit in intellectual circles in Croatia and Yugoslavia. It represents an important part of Croatian social and economic thought from the period of the Great Depression and the rise of totalitarian ideologies.

Today, Problems of Modern Life is appreciated as a document of its time, but also as a work that makes many topics (the crisis of the system, social justice, the moral crisis of modernity) surprisingly relevant even in the 21st century.