[citation needed] Joakim Rakovac was born in the village of Rakovci, Croatia [hr] (Rahovci) about ten kilometers from Poreč.

His father Ivan was beaten by the fascists on multiple occasions and imprisoned by the Italian authorities; he eventually died in the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau.

By the time of the beginning of World War II and the invasion of Yugoslavia, Rakovac had become a member of the Italian army, but was considered "politically suspicious".

Upon returning to Istria, he was introduced to anti-fascism and began associating with the Croatian anti-fascist movement, establishing close cooperation with the populist Jože Šuran, who was already in contact with partisans from other parts of Croatia.

He was part of a group of 18 people who, following orders from Jože Šuran, met on December 15, 1942 in Poreč (near a pond in the village of Rapavel).

At the end of 1942, he gathered thirty people in his house in the village of Rakovci, and discussed with them the possibility of fighting fascism; he later established the national liberation committee (NOC) in that same place.

He then took part in the liberation of Pazin, and on September 14 he entered Poreč with a small group of partisans, but nonetheless succeeded in taking power.

The article (probably with much editorial work; Rakovac only went to Italian school and had never had the opportunity to write in Croatian before), published under the title "Sretni i ponosni pošli smo u našu vojsku" (Happy and Proud We Went to Our Army), describes the preparation for joining the partisans; the text shows the circumstances in which Rakovac moved: Tog dana žene su marljivo pripremale hranu i robu za put a ljudi su obustavili svaki posao koji nije bio u vezi s mobilizacijom.

Postavljene su straže po svim putovima, gdje je bilo opasno, da bi provalili banditi i pomrsili naš plan.

Posjedali smo na travu oko punih zdjela, koje su za svoje borce donijele njihove drugarice.

Ne oplakujte istarske žene i majke sretne vojnike, koji će se vratiti preko Učke, goneći ispred sebe crni fašistički mrak i donoseći toplo sunce slobode!

Oplakujte radije one jadnike, koji su otišli u fašističku Italiju da ginu za naše najveće neprijatelje.

Upamtite, da se neće spasiti onaj koji želi u ovom najodlučnijem času ostati po strani.

And now already in freedom, resting in the dense fir forest, we remember the parting, and the wet eyes of mothers, sisters and brides, whom we left there, by the sea.

Do not mourn the Istrian women and mothers of the happy soldiers, who will return across Učka, chasing the black fascist darkness in front of them and bringing the warm sun of freedom!

After the end of the war, the new Yugoslav government dealt bloodily with the so-called Istrian "populists" (as with Mate Peteh, who was brutally murdered) and folk priests (e.g. Kazimir Paić).