The removal of Aleksandar Ranković, a strong proponent of a centralized Yugoslavia, in 1966 marked an opening for groups seeking greater devolution. A group of 130 influential Croatian poets and linguists, 80 of whom were Communists, published a "Declaration on the Status and Name of the Croatian Standard Language" in March 1967. After 1968 the patriotic goals of that document morphed into a generic Croatian movement for more rights for Croatia which received grassroots support, especially amongst many student organizations which actively started to voice their support for the cause.