Mnogi ga smatraju ocem hrvatske nezavisnosti, ali kako njegovi kritičari ističu, on je bio optuživan za ratne zločine, on je bio tvrdi nacionalista koji je napravio savez sa Slobodanom Miloševićem po pitanju podjele Bosne i Hercegovine, te stvorio u Hrvatskoj novu političku klimu zasnovanu na korupciji, koja je opet proizvela kapitaliste lojalne Tuđmanovom sistemu.
Many consider him the father of Croatian independence, but as his critics often point out, he faced war crimes allegations, he was a nationalist hardliner who allied with Slobodan Milosevic on the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and created a new political climate in Croatia based on corruption, which in turn produced capitalists loyal to the Tudjman system.