The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following World War I, Croatia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes that became Yugoslavia in 1929. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia and united Croatia and several other states together under the communistic leadership of Tito. With the fall of communism throughout Eastern Europe, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. But shortly after independence, a civil war erupted as the conflict between Serbs and Croats in Croatia escalated. As a result of the war, Croatia experienced a sharp economic decline. The end of the war in 1995 ushered in a period of vigorous economic growth. In June 2004 Croatia was officially granted candidate status for EU membership, and in April 2009 it joined NATO.