Песма Евровизије 1990. године: на почетку југословенске кризе
The Eurovision Song Contest of 1990: The Beginning of the Yugoslav Crisis

Summary/Abstract: After the victory of Yugoslavian group Riva in 1989, next year the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. The competition occurred at the time of political changes in Europe. In 1989 communism fell in Eastern Europe and the entire continent was caught in a wave of democratization, as communist regimes were replaced by multiparty democratic systems. This political change had its reflection in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990, which mirrored the spirit of the European unification as expressed through the topics of compositions, celebrating new changes and freedoms. The winning song, Italy’s Insieme: 1992, promoted European unity through the formation of the European Union, scheduled for 1992. On the other hand, the host country – Yugoslavia was in deep political, social and economic crisis. Therefore, the Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb represented a “different reality” in relation to the everyday life of the Yugoslav society, filled with disagreements and conflicts between the federal and republican leaderships. Yugoslavia tried to improve its image in the international community through a demanding, but still successful organization of the most prestigious European music festival. However, even at the Eurovision Song Contest there were tensions that had a political and nationalist background, which was an indicator of the depth of the crisis that Yugoslavia was facing, and eventually that led to the country’s disintegration a year later.

• Details
• Contents