Kukuljević was a member of the
People's Party and was one of its leading members as early as 1843. The political activity of Kukuljević can be separated into two periods: until 1850 and from 1860 to 1867. The gap from 1851 to 1860 was caused by the
absolutism instituted by Minister Bach, which repressed political life in Croatia. In the first period, he was a partisan of the liberation of
Croatia from
Austria and
Hungary, an uncompromising ideologue promoting revolutionary actions to achieve the unity of the
South Slavs. Believing that the South Slavs can be delivered and unified only by force of arms, he lobbied among the
Croats and
Serbs at the
Military Frontier. Swayed by his personality, the frontiersmen asked for the freedom and unity of the South Slav peoples in their ''People's Requests'' of spring 1848, referring to him as their inspiration. Kukuljević was the first to make a speech in
Croatian before the
Croatian Parliament, on May 2, 1843. The speech promoted the struggle for national liberation, asking for Croatian to become the official language in schools and offices, with its gradual introduction in the public life. He also pointed out the danger of replacing Croatian with other languages. Until then, the language of discourse in the parliament was
Latin. The speech caused much agitation. It was not an exception, though. All his speeches in the parliament and at county assemblies staunchly advocated the freedom and independence of Croatia, so they could be published only in
Branislav, an illegal
Illyrian magazine printed in
Belgrade. On Kukuljević's urging, the parliament passed the decision to make Croatian the official language in 1847. He became the chief judge of Varaždin County in 1845. During the
Revolutions of 1848, Kukuljević was among the radical democrats. Under his influence, the
ban Josip Jelačić convened the Croatian Parliament on June 5, 1848, opposing the explicit imperial order. Kukuljević also initiated the
Slavic Congress in
Prague. However, the revolutions were crushed and imperial oppression set in. Kukuljević was removed from politics and kept under police surveillance. In the 1850s, his outlook radically changed. The second period of his political activity was the complete opposite of his early
anti-Austrian and
nationalist sentiments. After he became the
prefect of
Zagreb County in 1861, he was loyal to Vienna, implementing policies targeted against Croats and the South Slavs and hounding his former friends who remained faithful to their Illyrian ideals. After the
Compromise of 1867, he was removed from political positions and retired. He was
later again elected to the Sabor. He died in Tuhakovec Castle in
Zagorje and was buried in
Zagreb's
Mirogoj Cemetery. ==Historian and cultural figure==