Renewal Of Relations Between The League Of Communists Of Yugoslavia And The Italian Communist Party 1955–1956 Cover Image

Обнављање односа између Савеза комуниста Југославије и Комунистичке партије Италије 1955–1956. године
Renewal Of Relations Between The League Of Communists Of Yugoslavia And The Italian Communist Party 1955–1956

Author(s): Biljana Mišić Ilić
Subject(s): History
Published by: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije
Keywords: League of Communists of Yugoslavia; Italian Communist Party; Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste; Palmiro Togliatti; Vittorio Vidali

Summary/Abstract: The process of renewing relations between the League of Communists of Yugoslavia and the Communist Party of Italy began in the second half of 1955 and was connected with the establishment of political relations between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. The Italian communists were cautious in accepting the policy of Soviet-Yugoslav reconciliation. Open disagreement with this policy was shown by the leadership of the Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste, headed by Vittorio Vidali that remained consistent to its anti-Yugoslav position taken after the Informbureau (Cominform) Resolution of 1948. After several preparatory meetings between ICP and LCY, that marked the end of 1955 and first half of 1956, the renewal of relations took place after the visit of Palmiro Togliatti, General Secretary of ICP, to Belgrade at the end of May 1956. Togliatti was the first leadеr of a West European communist party to visit Yugoslavia after the Informbureau Resolution of 1948. At that moment, the stands of ICP and LCY were very close because of Tito’s efforts to renew party relations with the Soviet and other communist parties without Yugoslavia joining the „east block“ but to cooperate with all communist parties on a bilateral basis – coincided with the efforts of ICP to revive the idea of establishing its own Italian road to socialism. After Togliatti’s visit to Belgrade the process of reconciliation between the two parties continued at the beginning of October the same year when an official delegation of ICP visited Yugoslavia due to an earlier agreement. The visit was mutually assessed as successful. The renewal of inter-party relations was not even undermined by the turbulent events in Hungary that took place during October and November 1956. In the following period the issue that remained open was connected with the activity of Communist Party of the Free Territory of Trieste, that is, the activities of its leader Vidali. The Yugoslavs tried to influence ICP to change the anti-Yugoslav stands of the communists from Trieste. The shift took place only after CPFTT was incorporated into the ICP as an autonomous Trieste Federation of the Italian Communist Party.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 121-145
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Serbian