Југославија и јачање совјетског утицаја у Албанији (1947–1948)
Yugoslavia and the Increase of the Soviet Influence in Albania (1947–1948)

Summary/Abstract: At the moment when it seemed that the relations between Yugoslavia and Albania were at their peak, a serious crisis started which coincided with the increase of the Soviet influence in that country. In the beginning the Soviets strove to streangthen their influence in Albania without upsetting the order Yugoslavia had established, trying rather to be present in those spheres in which Yugoslavia couldn’t supply all the necessary aid to Albania. The arrival of the Albanian state and Party delogation to Moscow in July 1947 changed radically the Soviet policy toward Albania and the Yugoslav presence there. From then on, the Yugoslav- Albanian relations started gradually to deteriorate. The Soviet presence in Albania started to increase and the Yugoslav one to decline. The reasons of such a state of affairs were broad and deep. First of all, the Yugoslav penetration in Albania was so strong and broad that it threatened to completelly oust the Soviet influence from that country and to enable the uni| cation of Albania with Yugoslavia. This was neither in the interest of the Soviets, nor of Albania, which, being economically and culturally underdeveloped, would found itself in such a state organism in completelly inferior position. Additional problem was fear of the Albanian leadership that in that case it would be reduced to a ordinary Party committee of one of the Yugoslav republics. Frequent clumsiness and haughtiness of Yugoslav representatives in Albania fed such Albanian and Soviet fears. On the whole, the depth of the crisis foreboded a severe conflict between Belgrade on the one, and Tirana and Moscow on the other side. The arrival of the Yugoslav military mission headed by general Kuprešanin to Albania, the departure of the Yugoslav delegation headed by Milovan Djilas for Moscow, and | nally the beginning of the correspondence between Yugoslav and Soviet Party leaderships and between Josip Broz Tito and Enver Hoxha in early 1948 were the beginning of a severe and protracted conflict between the once closest and most loyal allies.

• Details
• Contents