Ekonomska saradnja Jugoslavije i SAD u vreme drugog jugoslovensko-sovjetskog sukoba (1958–1959)

Dragan, Bogetić

Istorija 20. veka

1

131

153

0352-3160

https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=160260

2005-2020/03/24/10:58:02

Even though the Yugoslav management during the 1950-s, in the time of normalization of relations with the USSR, was interested in keeping the positive trend of political and economic relations with the United States, it still did not succeed in this attempt completely. The problem was the fact that every indication of normalization of relation between Belgrade and the socialist faction in the West was extremely negatively accepted and interpreted as the return of Yugoslavia to the group of the ideologically similar countries. Therefore, Yugoslavia’s nearing the USSR resulted in the accelerated cooling of relations with the USA and narrowing the sphere of economic cooperation of the two countries. The situation became even more complicated, as far as Yugoslavia was concerned, in the spring of 1958, at the time when willingness of the Soviet and Yugoslav management for close relations had started melting, leading to the new Yugoslav-Soviet conflict. Tito and his associates again confronted the danger to bring the country in the international isolation and deprive it of foreign credits and trade arrangements that were of great necessity for them. Similarly as in the time of the conflict between Yugoslavia and the countries of Cominform in 1948, the Yugoslav government had to ask the moguls from Washington, whom they ideologically disliked, for help. At first sight, it looked absurd but this time too, the survival of the Yugoslav socialist regime and realization of its international strategy depended on their cooperation. American government’s readiness to respond positively to Yugoslavia’s demands was conditioned by the same reasons as in the time of the severe conflict between Tito and Stalin. According to the American President, Eisenhower, and the Secretary General, Dulles, helping Yugoslavia represented helping to centrifugal forces in the communist movement, inevitably leading to the weakening of its inner cohesion. Considering that in the American political circles this view prevailed over the attitude advocated by the opponents of the support to „communist Yugoslavia“, the USA again became the important prop of Tito’s regime and its key economic partner. In the relations of Yugoslavia and the USA, the old rule was still topical: Yugoslavia’s nearing the USSR always resulted in cooling the relations with the USA as much as deteriorating the relations between Yugoslavia and the USSR inevitably led to improving the relations with this Western force.

Yugoslavia, USA, economic cooperation, 1958-1959, Yugoslav-Soviet conflict