ODNOSI JUGOSLAVIJE I ZAPADA U KONTEKSTU POSETE HRUŠČOVA BEOGRADU 1955. GODINE
THE RELATIONS OF YUGOSLAVIA AND THE WEST IN THE CONTEXT OF KHRUSCHOV’S VISIT TO BELGRADE IN 1955

Summary/Abstract: The visit of the delegation headed by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchov, to Belgrade in May 1955, exceeded the bilateral relations between these two socialist countries and marked a turning-point in Yugoslav foreign policy. The meetings of the Yugoslav leaders with Khrushchov were a political test of their ability to defend the country’s independence before the mighty eastern partner and, at the same time, of imposing their own principles on future relations. Much has been written about the nature of this meeting and its result in respect to these Yugoslav aims, however, the question of how the Belgrade talks affected Yugoslav relations with the West has not until now been satisfactorily answered. The available documents show that the Belgrade talks coincided with an important political commotion in the West and the dilemma regarding future policy toward Yugoslavia. Two dominant views emerged in the West in this respect. The first was in favor of ceasing all further aid to Yugoslavia and of adopting the same political course applied to other socialist countries. This idea was based on the notion that Yugoslavia was gradually returning to the communist camp and that helping Yugoslavia meant aiding the growth of communism in the world. Supporters of the other theory thought that co-operation with Yugoslavia should be continued in view of this country’s success in maintaining its independence in relation to the USSR and of the possibility that other socialist countries might follow its example. The result of this rebellious diplomatic act on the part of the Yugoslav government was that views in favor of co-operation with Yugoslavia prevailed in the West and US aid to Yugoslavia was continued with occasional fluctuations which reflected the changing intensity in the relations between the US and Yugoslavia.

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