Милован Ђилас о националном и државном питању Црне Горе
Milovan Djilas on National and State Question of Montenegro

Summary/Abstract: Đilas’s political ripening started in 1932 as he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY). „Unity of thought“ as one of the basic characteristics of the bolshevized Party didn’t pass the young Đilas by. Accepting completely the “Party line” about the hegemony of the Serbian nation and the need for natio nal liberation of other, non-Serbian nationalities within Yugoslavia, Đilas stres sed the national and state specialty of the Montenegrin population. Ideological parting of ways between Đilas and the Party led to the convocation of the Third Extraordinary Plenum (January 1954), his fall from the power and eviction form the Union of the Communists of Yugoslavia. Politically isolated, but not intellectually dead, he turned to literary work. At the same time, Đilas changed his views. Although he never renounced his communist past Đilas emancipated himself to a large degree from the old ideological crust, deep ingrained stereotypes, prejudices and illusions. In that context, the change of his views on Montenegro and the Montenegrin people is obvious. Milovan Đilas clearly pointed out that the Montenegrins were undoubtedly part of the Serbian people, albeit somewhat different in a local way. However, the wishes of the Montenegrins for a separate state were justifi edbecause there was a strong sense of tradition of separate statehood based on the experience from the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. This total change in Đilas’ views on the Montenegrin people came about after his own change of heart regarding ethnic affi liation. During the next period, until the end of his life, Milovan Đilas used to say he was a Serb in ethnic sense and a Montenegrin in local sense.

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