Yugoslavia: The 1950 Cultural and Ideological Revolution

Abstract

It is no exaggeration to assert that the new cultural policy conceptualized and inaugurated in Yugoslavia in 1950 was one of the cornerstones that enabled the creation of a socialism that was distinctly more liberal than the existing Soviet model. In the long run, it would help Yugoslavia create for itself a new position within the Cold War international system. This policy shift opened up Yugoslavia’s culture and science to the West, created links with countries in and beyond Western Europe, and challenged the Soviet-type cultural heritage of ‘Socialist realism’. The new policy signaled Yugoslavia’s intention to find a way to improve its cultural and scientific life through fostering unlimited cultural and political cooperation worldwide, particularly with the West, that would change the image of Socialism not only in Yugoslavia but also globally.