CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2013
| Author | Vejzagic, Sasa |
|---|---|
| Title | THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH LABOR ACTIONS IN SOCIALIST YUGOSLAVIA (1948-1950): A CASE STUDY OF THE MOTORWAY ???BROTHERHOOD-UNITY??? |
| Summary | The important role of Youth Labour Actions during the period following the Tito-Split (1948-1950) is understudied, and deserves the attention of scholarship. This thesis provides a study of the youth labour action “Brotherhood and Unity”, whose project of building the Motorway Zagreb-Belgrade began in 1948 and involved over 300,000 youth over the course of its 2-year existence. Based upon an examination of archival materials at the Archives of Yugoslavia in Belgrade and the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb this case study provides valuable new insight into an aspect of a well-researched period of political, economic and ideological uncertainty in the history of Yugoslavia. At the same time, it shines a spotlight on the understudied importance of its impact on, and interrelationship with, a particular 5 year-plan project and the Youth Labour Action that saw it come to completion. During and after the Split, loyalty to Tito and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia quickly became of primary importance. The Motorway “Brotherhood and Unity” enjoyed continued governmental support during the crisis in large part because of its symbolic value for the Party, as well as thanks to its potential as a project of mass-mobilization of youth through participation in volunteer youth labour action. This thesis aims to tell the untold story of this youth labour action, and its importance in the postwar period. Utilizing key concepts such as development, mobilization, homogenization and stabilization, it will be possible to assess the ways in which this youth labour action gained significance. It will be shown that the Communist Party of Yugoslavia wished to maintain loyalty among its diverse populations, and crafted policies and projects in light of its own political, economic and ideological objectives in an uncertain period. Such objectives often aligned themselves with those of existing 5-Year-Plan projects, as well as youth enthusiastic to express love of Party and Leader. This reflects on the close ties between all three levels, from the highest official, to the planned project, to the individual youth. It will be stressed that youth labour actions were quickly recognized by official bodies as an established, useful platform of mobilizing increasingly desirable support among Yugoslav youth. |
| Supervisor | Siefert, Marsha |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2013/vejzagic_sasa.pdf |
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