Zagreb in the World War One This doctoral thesis examines the influence of World War I on Zagreb, a city behind the front lines. The wartime period was marked by numerous changes that resulted in a series of problems for the state and local administration, economy, and society. An analysis and comparison of various materials: published and unpublished sources, relevant scholarly and professional literature, and the contemporaneous publications, has revealed the sort of changes that took place on the area of the city and how the city and state administration tried to handle them. The declaration of war and introduction of a state of emergency as well as the declaration of mobilisation in late July 1914 in Austria-Hungary, i.e. Banal Croatia, and thus its capital Zagreb, constantly created new problems that the state tried to resolve through direct actions. However, such actions only contributed towards deepening the economic crisis. Life in Zagreb was subjected to numerous changes, i.e. all segments of city life slowed down, and citizens had to adapt to such war-related processes. The wartime period in Zagreb can be divided into two phases: from 1914 to 1916, and from 1916 until the end of the war. During the first two war-years, the only interconnection between citizens and the war were mobilisations, conscriptions, the imposition of maximum prices for food and other necessities, and the introduction of the first ration cards. The first shortages appeared in 1916, and electricity and gas rationing were also introduced over time. A consequence of the economic crisis, more accurately economic collapse, was the polarisation of society into two strata – the wealthy, who lived comfortably, and the poor, who were forced to live from day to day. This economic and social process proved particularly harsh on middle class – artisans, clerks ‒ it became impoverished, and its share in the social structure was minimised. This development of events favoured certain negative accompanying phenomena of the war: the creation of a black market and the rise in rates of certain crimes – burglaries, thefts, and home invasions. A constant fall of living standards among the citizens was evident from 1914 till 1918, and was accompanied by shortages of foodstuffs and various necessities. In increasingly difficult circumstances, the City Government managed to find a model of functioning, which eventually secured the survival of the population. Despite these changes, cultural life kept going as it had before the war. The scientific contribution of this doctoral thesis is an all-encompassing study of the political, legal, social, and economic changes in Zagreb during the First World War, and this knowledge can be used for further research on the changes and functioning of urban environments behind the front lines during wartime.