Table Of ContentVladimir Unkovski-Korica is Lecturer in Central and East European
Studies at the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of
Glasgow.HecompletedhisMScinRussianandEasternEuropeanStudies
atOxfordUniversityandhisPhDattheLondonSchoolofEconomicsand
Political Science (LSE), where he taught for several years. He was also
AssistantProfessorattheNationalResearchUniversity – HigherSchool
of Economics,Moscow.
‘Based on research into previously rarely used primary sources,
Dr Unkovski-Korica’s book makes at least two important contri-
butions to the existing literature on Yugoslavia. First, it re-examines
the development of once idealized, then maligned and forgotten, and
now re-discovered, but always somewhat misunderstood, “Yugoslav
road to socialism”. Second, it situates the origins of Yugoslavia’s
break-up in an earlier period than other relevant studies have done
(1950s–60s) and in another arena (economic policies and rivalries).
The author is to be commended for presenting his arguments free
of determinism, characteristic of many post-Yugoslav works. Rich
in information, relevant for anyone interested in Tito’s Yugoslavia,
Eastern Europe and Communism, and recommended.’
Dejan Djokic´, Reader in History, Goldsmiths, University of London
‘Thisisanecessarystory – buthereitisalsoverywelltold.Thereisa
clearargument,thateverythingthathappenedinthe1970sand1980s
had itsorigins inthe debatesandcrises of the 1950s andearly1960s.
In the struggle to reform Communism and survive Stalin’s blockade,
the country opened increasingly to the world market, which caused
trouble on the shop floor; Tito then sought a compromise but as the
authorstates,“withthefailureofthiscompromise,bythemid1960s,
thewaywasopenforthepopularrevivalofthenationalquestion”and
the ultimate collapse of the Yugoslav state.’
Geoffrey Swain, Alec Nove Chair in Russian and
East European Studies, University of Glasgow and
the author of Tito: A Biography (I.B.Tauris, 2010)
THE ECONOMIC
STRUGGLE
FOR POWER
IN TITO'S
YUGOSLAVIA
From World War II to Non-Alignment
V U -K
LADIMIR NKOVSKI ORICA
To my mother, Snezˇana Korica, and my father, Dimitrije Unkovski,
in love and gratitude, for always being there,
and for teaching me the value of critical thinking and
the struggle for social justice.
Publishedin2016by
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
1. National Roads to Socialism and the Tito-Stalin Split,
1944–8 22
2. Tilting West: Self-Management in the Service
of the Market, 1948–53 71
3. Self-Management and Non-Alignment, 1953–8 114
4. Unravelling Self-Management: Development, the
National Question and the Cold War, 1958–64 165
Conclusion 220
Notes 233
Bibliography 273
Index 288
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The debts incurred while writing a doctoral thesis and then turning it
into a book are always many. Writing about Yugoslavia for me
particularlyinvolvedaconstantstruggletore-thinkbothmyrootsand
myapproachtohistory.YugoslaviacollapsedwhileIwasstillveryyoung
and returning to its history felt all too often like a personal odyssey.
Nonetheless, I felt the task was important as many works have been
written about its end, at the expense of earlier periods in its history.
Providing an explanation for how the Titoist system in Yugoslavia
evolved from uncertain beginnings in World War II, through an
ostensibly prosperous and calm period, before going into deep crisis,
provedtobeachallenge.IhopeIsucceededinattainingahighlevelof
detachment and critical spirit.
If I did, this would in no small measure be down to my supervisor,
Anita J. Praz˙mowska. Her support began when, as an undergraduate
studentoflawattheLondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience,
Ienrolledonherthird-yearcourseontheRussianRevolution.Thiswas
my only outside option, but my irreverent classmates and my brilliant
teacher, as well as the excitement of the topic itself, convinced me to
pursuepostgraduatestudiesinhistory.Thefollowingyear,Icompleted
an MSc in Russian and Eastern European Studies at the University of
Oxford. Richard Crampton expertly mentored my thesis on Kardelj.
IthenreturnedtotheLSEtoundertakeaPhDunderAnita’ssupervision.
Herguidancewasalwaysinspired,witty,carefulandcaring.Igrewasa
personandanacademic,andwhateverqualitiesthisworkmayhavearea
testament to her intellect and integrity.
viii ECONOMICSTRUGGLEFORPOWER IN TITO'S YUGOSLAVIA
Ishouldacknowledgethekindsupportgiventomeovertheyearsby
my colleagues at the LSE’s Department of International History, as
a doctoral student and later as a fellow. The Postgraduate seminar
seriesandtheColdWarHistoryseminarshapedmeandIamgratefulfor
the camaraderie and intellectual stimulation afforded by all those
whoattended.Myfirst-yearupgradeexaminers,RobertBoyceandArne
Westad, gave me valuable comments and remained important
interlocutors, as did Svetozar Rajak, whose help, especially in the
shaping of the project and help with navigating archives in Serbia,
proved tremendous. Sue Onslow’s sharpness and brightness was a
constantsourceofcheer.Manycolleaguesprovidedmewithhelp,advice,
and friendship: Roham Alvandi, Nigel Ashton, Dayna Barnes, Robbie
Barnes,Aure´lie Basha-i-Novosejt,Antony Best, Matthew Betts, Nayna
Bhatti, Victor Figueroa Clark, Michele di Donato, Milana Fomina,
Marvin Fried, Demetra Frini, Tanya Harmer, Janet Hartley, Matthew
Hinds, Alessandro Iandolo, Heather Jones, Artemy Kalinovsky, Paul
Keenan, Dominic Lieven, Piers Ludlow, Andrea Mason, Emmanuel
Mourlon-Druol, So¨nke Neitzel, Rui Lopes, Emma Peplow, Angela
Romano, Taylor Sherman, Elizabeth Shlala, Alan Sked, Kristina Spohr,
David Stevenson, Paul Stock, Natasha Telepneva and Wes Ullrich.
Specialthankstoallmystudents,especiallyofhistoriography,youwere
an extra motivation.
ThebulkofthebookwaswrittenduringmyyearinMoscow,where
IwasAssistantProfessorinHistoryattheSchoolofHistoricSciencesof
the Faculty of Humanities, National Research University – Higher
School of Economics, in 2014–15. Alexander B. Kamenskii was
generouswithhissupporttime-wiseandIwillalwaysbegratefulforit.
Elena S. Korchmina was a colleague to wish for, and I learned so much
from teaching economic history with her. Martin Beisswenger and
LiudmilaG.NovikovawereintellectualguidesthroughRussianhistory
and contemporary Moscow, as was Andrey A. Iserov. My colleagues
and friends in the International Faculty Support Unit were always
a smiling presence. Veronika Skuridina, Konstantin S. Petrov, Bora
ErdamarandEmreDoganprovidedfriendshipwhenitwasmostneeded.
I am lucky to have spent time with colleagues like Franziska Exeler,
Jacob Feygin and Kristy Ironside, and I am especially lucky to have
received their comments in a workshop organised around my book by
Andrej Kricˇkovic´.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix
Special thanks are due also to librarians and archivists in several
libraries and archives, in particular the Archives of Yugoslavia, the
Croatian State Archives and the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia.
TheLSEgenerouslyfundedseveralofmyresearchandconferencetrips.
Ljubodrag Dimic´ and Todor Kuljic´ in Belgrade, Tvrtko Jakovina in
ZagrebandBozˇoRepeinLjubljanapointedmeinimportantdirections.
Monica Priante, Franko Dota, Slaven Crnic´, Nikola Vukobratovic´
and Ana Simundzˇa were always happy hosts to have in Zagreb.
The colleagues of the Institute for Contemporary History and the
Institute for Recent History of Serbia, both in Belgrade, were always
there when needed. Special mention ought to be made of the help and
support of the late Olivera Milosavljevic´. Not only was Olivera
always ready to meet me and discuss, sparing no criticism. Having
completedadoctorateonaverysimilartopictotheoneIhadsetoutto
write, in the 1980s, Olivera also crucially made available many
documentsnowapparentlylost.Mythesisandmybookwouldhavebeen
impossiblewithouther.Ialwayslookedforwardtoherreviewofit.Iwas
shocked and saddened to hear of her death in October 2015. Her
untimely passing was a loss for our profession and for progressive
thought in Serbia.
Another friend and mentor who will not read this book is Professor
Norman Atkinson. He was for many years my academic advisor while
I was a primary and secondary school student in Zimbabwe. We met
every Tuesday for ten years, and discussed history, philosophy and
literature. I would like to think he would have been proud. I hope my
historyteacheratStGeorge’sCollege,CorradoTrinci,whoseinfluencein
termsofrethinkingthepastcontinuesto thisday,willbepleasedwith
the product.
The product itself would be incomplete without the reproduction of
myarticle,‘Workers’CouncilsintheServiceoftheMarket:NewArchival
Evidence on the Origins of Self-Management in Yugoslavia 1948–50’
published in Europe-Asia Studies, volume 66, issue 1, 2014. It is
reprintedhereaspartofChapterTwobypermissionofTaylor&Francis
Ltd,(www.tandfonline.com,http://www.informaworld.com)onbehalf
of the University of Glasgow.
Several others deserve special mention. Dejan Jovic´ and David
Priestland were ideal doctoral examiners. They gave me excellent
feedbackonhowtoturnthethesisintoapublication.Iamintheirdebt.
