View source for Italy–Yugoslavia relations

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}{{Infobox bilateral relations|Kingdom of Italy–Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Kingdom of Italy|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}{{bilateral|Italy–Yugoslavia|Italy|Yugoslavia}}

'''Italy–Yugoslavia relations''' ({{langx|it|Relazioni Italia-Jugoslavia}}; {{lang-sh-Latn-Cyrl|Odnosi Italije i Jugoslavije|Односи Италије и Југославије}}; {{langx|sl|Odnosi med Italijo in Jugoslavijo}}; {{langx|mk|Односите Италија-Југославија}}) are the cultural and political relations between Italy and [[Yugoslavia]] in the 20th century, since the [[creation of Yugoslavia]] in 1918 until its [[Breakup of Yugoslavia|dissolution]] in 1992. Relations immediately after the end of World War I, and shortly before the rise of [[Italian_fascism|fascism in Italy]], were severely affected and constantly tense due to the dispute over [[Dalmatia]] and the city-port of [[Fiume|Fiume (Rijeka)]]. Relations during the [[Interwar period|interwar years]] were hostile because of [[Italian irredentism|Italian demands]] for Yugoslav territory, contributing to decision by [[Fascist Italy (1922–1943)|Italy]] and [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] to [[Invasion of Yugoslavia|invade Yugoslavia]] during [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Steiner|first=Zara|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/86068902|title=The lights that failed : European international history, 1919-1933|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-151881-2|location=Oxford|oclc=86068902}}</ref> After lingering tensions after the war over the status of the [[Free Territory of Trieste]], relations improved during the [[Cold War]]. 

== Country comparison ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Common name
![[Italy]]
![[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]
|-
!Official name
!Italian Republic
!Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
|-
|Emblem
|[[File:Emblem of Italy.svg|center|148x148px]]
|[[File:Emblem of Yugoslavia (1963–1992).svg|center|140x140px]]
|-
|Flag
|[[File:Flag of Italy (1946–2003).svg|center|130x130px]]
|[[File:Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg|center|130x130px]]
|-
|Capital
|[[Rome]]
|[[Belgrade]]
|-
|Largest city
|[[Rome]]
|[[Belgrade]]
|-
|Government
|[[Unitary parliamentary republic]]
|[[Socialist state|Socialist republic]]
|-
|Population
|56,778,031
|22,229,846
|-
|Official languages
|[[Italian language|Italian]]
|No official language
[[Serbo-Croatian]] (de facto state-wide)
[[Slovene language|Slovene]] (in [[Socialist Republic of Slovenia|Slovenia]]) and [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] (in [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]])
|-
|First leader
|President [[Enrico De Nicola|Enrico de Nicola]]
Prime Minister [[Alcide De Gasperi|Alcide de Gasperi]]
|President of the League of Communists [[Josip Broz Tito]]
|-
|Last leader
|President [[Francesco Cossiga]]
Prime Minister [[Giulio Andreotti]]
|President of the League of Communists [[Milan Pančevski]]
|-
|Religion
|[[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]
|[[Secular state]] (de jure), [[state atheism]] (de facto)
|-
|Alliances
|[[European Economic Community|EEC]], [[NATO]]
|[[Non-Aligned Movement]]
|}

==Interwar period (1918–40)==

=== Border in Dalmatia ===
{{see also|Adriatic Question}}
[[File:VenetianDalmatia1797.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Austrian linguistic map from 1896. In green the areas where [[Slavs]] were the majority of the population, in orange the areas where [[Istrian Italians]] and [[Dalmatian Italians]] were the majority of the population. The boundaries of [[Venetian Dalmatia]] in 1797 are delimited with blue dots.]]

On 26 April 1915, the [[Kingdom of Italy]] signed the secret [[Treaty of London (1915)|Treaty of London]] with members of the [[Triple Entente]]. According to the pact, Italy was to declare war against the [[Triple Alliance (1882)|Triple Alliance]]; in exchange, she was to receive the [[Julian March]], northern [[Dalmatia]] and the protectorate over [[Albania]].

In March 1918, [[Ante Trumbić]], of the [[Yugoslav Committee]] and the Italian representative, [[Andrea Torre]], signed an agreement which clearly stated that the future [[Italy–Slovenia border|border]] between the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] (the union of the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] and the [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]) would be decided in a democratic way.

In November 1918, after the surrender of Austria-Hungary following the [[Armistice of Villa Giusti]], Italy occupied militarily the [[Julian March]], [[Istria]], the [[Kvarner Gulf]] and [[Dalmatia]], all Austro-Hungarian territories. On the Dalmatian coast, Italy established the [[Governorate of Dalmatia#The first Governorate of Dalmatia|Governorate of Dalmatia]], which had the provisional aim of ferrying the territory towards full integration into the Kingdom of Italy, progressively importing national legislation in place of the previous one. 

However, the Treaty of London was nullified in the [[Treaty of Versailles]] due to the objections of American president [[Woodrow Wilson]]. Italy received only the [[Julian March]], the Dalmatian city of [[Zadar|Zara (Zadar)]], as well as the islands of [[Cres|Cherso (Cres)]], [[Lošinj|Lussino (Lošinj)]] and [[Lastovo|Lagosta (Lastovo)]]. A large number of [[Dalmatian Italians]], (allegedly nearly 20,000), moved from the areas of Dalmatia assigned to Yugoslavia and resettled in [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] (mainly in [[Zadar|Zara]]). Following the [[Aftermath of World War I|conclusion of World War I]] and the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain|disintegration of Austria-Hungary]], Dalmatia became part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] (later renamed the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]]). 

After the failure of a border agreement at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]], discussions continued between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During 1920 the Italian government was under internal pressure to expand her borders as fair compensation for war victims and war debt. An example of this pressure was the publication of a [[Forgery|forged]] letter purporting to be from [[Abraham Lincoln]] to [[Macedonio Melloni]], in which Lincoln had apparently acknowledged all the coast between [[Venice]] and [[Kotor|Cattaro]] as Italian national territory.<ref>Newspaper Popolo d'Italia from 20 April 1920</ref> Relations seemed to settle with the signing of the [[Treaty of Rapallo (1920)|Treaty of Rapallo]], the annexation by Italy of the [[Free State of Fiume]] and the evacuation of the Governorate of Dalmatia.
[[File:Fiume cheering D'Annunzio.jpg|right|thumb|Residents of [[Fiume|Fiume (Rijeka)]] cheering the arrival of [[Impresa di Fiume|Gabriele D'Annunzio and his ''Legionari'']] in September 1919, when Fiume had 22,488 (62% of the population) Italians in a total population of 35,839 inhabitants]]

Relations with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were severely affected and constantly remained tense, because of the dispute over [[Dalmatia]] and over the city-port of [[Fiume|Fiume (Rijeka)]]. It had become a [[Free State of Fiume|free state]] according to the [[League of Nations]], but was occupied by some Italian rebels led by the writer [[Gabriele d'Annunzio]]. In 1924 the city was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia (the Treaty of Rapallo). [[Fascism]] came to Italy in 1922. Their policies included nationalistic [[Italianization]] courses of action, under which [[minority rights]] were severely reduced.

In 1925, the two countries signed the [[Treaty of Nettuno]], but it took until 1928 before it was ratified in the Yugoslav parliament, after the [[assassination of Stjepan Radić]].

===Albania issue===
[[File:Map_of_Independent_Albania.png|thumb|[[Greater Albania]] is the proposal of 4 "Albanian vilayets" of the [[League of Prizren]] as agreed after the [[Albanian revolt of 1912]]]]

Before becoming the ''[[Duce]]'' of Italy, [[Benito Mussolini]] had clearly stated his thinking about Yugoslavia. He was creating a difference towards Serbia in which "Italy will always have [a] friendly policy but with Yugoslavia she will have [a] good relationship only if she accept[s] that her destiny is [in the] [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] and not [the] [[Adriatic Sea]]".<ref>Lausanna talks between Benito Mussolini and Yugoslav foreign minister Momčilo Ninčić on 20 November 1922</ref> The relationship between the two states ended after the signing of a friendship pact between the Kingdoms of Italy and Albania on 27 November 1926. With this pact, in the eyes of King [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander]], Italy entered the Yugoslav zone of influence; Mussolini was not interested in diplomatic protests from [[Belgrade]]; Yugoslavia signed a secret military pact with France on 11 November 1927.

During this time the first contact between [[Ante Pavelić]] (who wanted Italian help for the destruction of Yugoslavia) and the creation of an independent Croatia with official representatives from Italy. After the proclamation of a dictatorship in Yugoslavia, Ante Pavelić left "his" country and went into exile in Italy in October 1929. Mussolini gave the job of approaching and helping Croatian separatists to Italian parliamentary member [[Fulvio Suvich]] in 1929.

This poor relationship between the two kingdoms were best shown in the events of 1928 and 1929. The first diplomatic problems were born when [[Zog of Albania|Zog I]] of Albania, with Italian help, proclaimed himself [[King of the Albanians]]. The majority of the population in Yugoslavian [[Kosovo]] during this period were [[Kosovo Albanians|Albanians]] in Yugoslavian eyes; this proclamation became an invitation for the creation of [[Greater Albania]] with Italian help. These fears were confirmed in 1929 when Italy refused to sign a new friendship agreement with Yugoslavia. The following year she allowed Ante Pavelić to live in Italy where he organized the [[Ustaše]] (a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav movement).

Yugoslavia commenced secret negotiations with Italy in late 1930. To put more pressure on [[Belgrade]], Mussolini made a few speeches with the words "Dalmazia o morte" (Dalmatia or death);<ref>Benito Mussolini Napoli speech of 25 October 1931</ref> but the real demand was that Yugoslavia accept Italian supremacy in Albania. When this offer was refused in 1932, Yugoslavia started to look for new allies against his demands. Consequently, Yugoslavia signed a trade agreement with [[Nazi Germany]] in March 1934.

===Later years===
[[File:Provinces of Venezia Giulia (1923-1947).svg|thumb|The [[Julian March]] within the [[Kingdom of Italy]] (1923–1947), with its four provinces: the [[province of Gorizia]] (blue), the [[province of Trieste]] (green), the [[province of Fiume]] (red), the [[province of Pola]] (yellow)]]
The Yugoslav king [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia|Alexander]] was killed on 9 October 1934 by members of the [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]], helped by the [[Ustaše]]. Italy was criticised for helping and financing them, sending all members to closed training camps where they received Italian support and control.<ref>Court hearing of Mile Budak</ref> The Ustaše did not forget the unfriendly actions taken by the Italian "controller" [[Ercole Conti]].

Upon pressure from France, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia did not raise the issue of Italian international responsibilities in the [[regicide]] before the [[League of Nations]]. After the coming to power of [[Milan Stojadinović]], the relationship between the two kingdoms improved. A [[trade agreement]] was signed on 1 October 1936, followed by renewed negotiations which resulted in the signing of further agreements on 25 March 1937 stating the commencement of an officially friendly relationship. An agreement was also signed settling all border issues, while Italy provided information to Yugoslavia about the identities and place of residence for 510 Ustaše members. In 1939, [[Galeazzo Ciano]] directly negotiated with [[Milan Stojadinović]] the annexation of [[Albania]] by Italy. On that occasion, the Yugoslav regent [[Prince Paul of Yugoslavia|Prince Pavle]], fired and arrested Stojadinović; from then on, Italian-Yugoslav relations rapidly deteriorated.

In the last two years before the start of World War II, Italy almost broke off diplomatic contact with Yugoslavia and started negotiations with Germany and the Ustaše. Italy recalled General [[Gastone Gambara]] from Spain in 1940 so that he could take control of forces which would attack [[Banovina of Croatia]] (a Yugoslav province).<ref>National Archives and Records Administration, Washington – Microfilm publication, Record of Italian Armed Forces</ref> This offensive was only delayed because of the Italian declaration of war against France on 10 June 1940. Italy created plans of attack on Yugoslavia in February 1940 with the primary objective of taking [[Šibenik]], [[Split (city)|Split]] and [[Kotor]] so that the Adriatic situation would be eased. The only problem with this plan was that [[Adolf Hitler]] wanted to create an alliance between the two kingdoms against [[Greece]]. During negotiations in late 1940, Italy offered [[Thessaloniki]] to Yugoslavia but it was rejected. Only when Hitler put forward a similar offer in March 1941 was it accepted, and Yugoslavia become a member of the [[Axis powers]] on 25 March 1941. Hitler ordered an attack on Yugoslavia following the [[Yugoslav coup d'état|coup d'état on 27 March]]; two days later the new Yugoslav prime minister, [[Dušan Simović]], asked for Italian help in restoring relations with Germany. Simović warned Italy that Yugoslavia would overrun Italian Albania if the Axis powers declared war.<ref>Newspapers Novo vreme of 17 October 1943 and Spremnost of 31 October 1943</ref> This war would start on 6 April 1941 and end with the destruction of the Yugoslav Kingdom on 17 April.

== Second World War (1940–45) ==
=== Italian-German invasion of Yugoslavia ===
{{see also|Invasion of Yugoslavia|Governatorate of Dalmatia}}
[[File:Croatia-41-45.gif|thumb|upright=1.3|Division of Yugoslavia after its invasion by the [[Axis powers]].
{{legend|#339966|Areas annexed by Italy: the area constituting the [[province of Ljubljana]], the area merged with the [[province of Fiume]] and the areas making up the second [[Governorate of Dalmatia]]}}
{{legend|#ff0000|[[Independent State of Croatia]]}}
{{legend|#0000ff|Area occupied by [[Nazi Germany]]}}
{{legend|#996666|Areas occupied by [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946)|Kingdom of Hungary]]}}]]

The [[Invasion of Yugoslavia]] (code-name '''Directive 25''' or '''Operation 25''') was the [[Axis powers]]' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The invasion ended with the unconditional surrender of the [[Royal Yugoslav Army]] on 17 April 1941, the annexation and occupation of the region by the Axis powers and the creation of the [[Independent State of Croatia]] (''Nezavisna Država Hrvatska'', or NDH). Italy annexed the area constituting the [[province of Ljubljana]], the area merged with the [[province of Fiume]] and the areas making up the second [[Governorate of Dalmatia]].

The [[Second Army (Italy)|Italian Second Army]] crossed the border soon after the Germans. They faced the [[7th Army (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)|Yugoslavian Seventh Army]]. The Italians encountered limited resistance and occupied parts of [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], and the coast of [[Dalmatia]]. In addition to the Second Army, Italy had four divisions of the [[Ninth Army (Italy)|Ninth Army]] on the Yugoslavian border with Albania. These formations were so situated against a Yugoslav offensive on that front. Around 300 Ustaše volunteers under the command of Ante Pavelic accompanied the Italian Second Army during the invasion; about the same number of Ustaše were attached to the [[German Army (1935–1945)|German Army]] and other Axis allies.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Goldstein|first=Ivo|author-link=Ivo Goldstein|title=Croatia: a history|publisher=[[McGill-Queen's University Press]]|year=1999|pages=[https://archive.org/details/croatia00ivog/page/131 131–134]|url=https://archive.org/details/croatia00ivog/page/131|isbn=0-7735-2017-1}}</ref>

The Independent State of Croatia was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. The state was technically a monarchy and Italian [[protectorate]] from the signing of the Rome agreements on 19 May 1941 until the [[Italian capitulation (WW2)|Italian capitulation]] on 8 September 1943; but the king-designate, the Prince [[Aimone of Savoy-Aosta]], refused to assume the kingship in opposition to the Italian annexation of the [[Croats|Croat]]-populated Yugoslav region of Dalmatia.

=== End of the war ===
[[File:Litorale 1.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Changes to the Italy–Yugoslavia border from 1920 to 1975.
{{legend|#ffff00|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920 by the [[Treaty of Rapallo (1920)|Treaty of Rapallo]] (with adjustments of its border in 1924 after the [[Treaty of Rome (1924)|Treaty of Rome]]); ceded to Yugoslavia in 1947 by the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Treaty of Paris]]}}
{{legend|#40ff00|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920 which remained Italian after 1947}}
{{legend|#00ff80|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920 which passed to the [[Free Territory of Trieste]] in 1947 with the Paris treaties; definitively assigned to Italy in 1975 by the [[Treaty of Osimo]]}}
{{legend|#ffff80|Areas annexed to Italy in 1920 which passed to the Free Territory of Trieste in 1947 with the Paris treaties; definitively assigned to Yugoslavia in 1975 by the Osimo treaty}}
]]

When the Fascist regime collapsed in 1943 and Italy capitulated, its eastern border territory was occupied by [[Wehrmacht|German forces]], the authority of the [[Italian Social Republic]] in this zone being largely theoretical. The [[4th Army (Yugoslav Partisans)|Yugoslav 4th Army]], together with the [[9th Corps (Yugoslav Partisans)|Slovenian 9th Corps]] entered [[Trieste]] on 1 May 1945. The [[2nd New Zealand Division|2nd (New Zealand) Division]] of the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British 8th Army]] arrived the next day and forced the surrender of 2,000 [[Wehrmacht|German Army]] soldiers holding out in Trieste which had refused to capitulate to partisan troops. An uneasy truce developed between Allied and Yugoslav troops occupying the area until British General [[William Duthie Morgan|Sir William Morgan]] proposed a partition of the territory and the removal of Yugoslav troops from the area occupied by the Allies. [[Josip Broz Tito]] agreed in principle on 23 May as the [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|British XIII Corps]] was moving forward to the proposed demarcation line. An agreement was signed in [[Duino]] on 10 June, creating the [[Morgan Line]]. Yugoslav soldiers withdrew by 12 June 1945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cgi.stanford.edu/group/wais/cgi-bin/index.php?p=587 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721202106/http://cgi.stanford.edu/group/wais/cgi-bin/index.php?p=587 |archive-date=21 July 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=5112 |title=The Ashburton Guardian (New) |access-date=2017-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627095427/http://www.ashburtonguardian.co.nz/index.asp?articleid=5112 |archive-date=27 June 2006}}</ref>
[[File:Italians leave Pola.jpg|thumb|[[Istrian Italians]] leave [[Pula|Pola]] in 1947 during the [[Istrian-Dalmatian exodus]].]]

The end of the war on the Italian-Yugoslav border, after the [[Italian capitulation (WW2)|Italian capitulation]] on 8 September 1943, was marked by the [[foibe massacres]] (perpetrated by Yugoslav partisans) that took place mainly in [[Istria]] from 1946 to 1949, the [[Istrian–Dalmatian exodus]], which involved the emigration of around 350,000 [[Istrian Italians]] and [[Dalmatian Italians]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tobagi |first=Benedetta |title=La Repubblica italiana &#124; Treccani, il portale del sapere |url=http://www.treccani.it/scuola/lezioni/storia/la_repubblica_italiana.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001726/http://www.treccani.it/scuola/lezioni/storia/la_repubblica_italiana.html |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=28 January 2015 |publisher=Treccani.it}}</ref> and the issue of Trieste.<ref>{{cite web | title=Foibe | url=http://www.treccani.it/Portale/elements/categoriesItems.jsp?category=scienze_umane_e_sociali/storia/storia_contemporanea/&parentFolder=/Portale/sito/altre_aree/scienze_sociali/storia/&addNavigation=scienze_umane_e_sociali/storia/storia_contemporanea/&lettera=F&pathFile=/sites/default/BancaDati/Enciclopedia_online/F/ENCICLOPEDIA_UNIVERSALE_3_VOLUMI_VOL2_012309.xml | publisher=Treccani.it | access-date=2009-04-27}}</ref>

The Istrian-Dalmatian exodus indicates the departure of [[Ethnic group|ethnic]] Italians from Istria, [[Rijeka]] (Fiume) and Dalmatia after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the [[SR Croatia]] and [[SR Slovenia]] (then parts of SFR Yugoslavia). According to some sources, the exodus was incited by the Yugoslav government,<ref>[http://www.unione-italiana.hr/popp.asp?cat=11&id_inst=1&id_in=9 Untitled Document]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> while the Italian government offered incentives for immigration. These territories were ethnically mixed, with Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian and other communities. Istria, including Rijeka and parts of Dalmatia, including [[Zadar]], had been annexed to Italy after World War I. 

From 1947, after the war, Istrian Italians and Dalmatian Italians were subject by Yugoslav authorities to less violent forms of intimidation, such as nationalization, expropriation, and discriminatory taxation,<ref name="books.google.fr">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHnEI2m5tFIC&pg=PA309|title=Genocide: Truth, Memory, and Representation|page=295|author=Pamela Ballinger|date=7 April 2009|publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0822392361|access-date=30 December 2015}}</ref> which gave them little option other than emigration.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ia-qdCeUaXIC&pg=PA136 |title=Ethnic Cleansing and the European Union – Page 136, Lynn Tesser|isbn=9781137308771|last1=Tesser|first1=L.|date=14 May 2013|publisher=Springer }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=da6acnbbEpAC&pg=PA103 |title=History in Exile: Memory and Identity at the Borders of the Balkans |page=103 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0691086974 |last1=Ballinger|first1=Pamela|year=2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ykMVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA133|title=Refugees in the Age of Total War|pages=139, 143|author=Anna C. Bramwell, University of Oxford, UK|date=1988|publisher=Unwin Hyman |isbn=9780044451945}}</ref> The exodus started in 1943 and ended completely only in 1960. According to the census organized in [[Croatia]] in 2001 and that organized in [[Slovenia]] in 2002, the Italians who remained in the former [[Yugoslavia]] amounted to 21,894 people (2,258 in Slovenia and 19,636 in Croatia).<ref name="dzs">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dzs.hr/Eng/censuses/Census2001/Popis/E01_02_02/E01_02_02.html|title=Državni Zavod za Statistiku|language=hr|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="stat">{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.si/Popis2002/en/rezultati/rezultati_red.asp?ter=SLO&st=7|title=Popis 2002|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref>

In 1991 [[Milovan Đilas]] was to say "''I remember that in 1946 me and Edvard Kardelj went to Istria to organize the anti-Italian propaganda. It was all about proving to the Allied Commission that those lands were Yugoslav and not Italian: we organized manifestations with signs and flags.''

''But wasn't it true?'' (journalist's question)

''Of course it wasn't. Better still, it was just partly true, because in reality Italians were the majority in the towns, not in the villages. It was therefore necessary to persuade them to leave with every kind of pressions. So it was told us and so it was done.''"<ref>[[Arrigo Petacco]], L'esodo. La tragedia negata degli italiani d'Istria, Dalmazia e Venezia Giulia, [[Arnoldo Mondadori Editore]], [[Milan]] 1999.</ref>

At the end of World War II the former Italian territories in Istria and Dalmatia became part of the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] by the [[Treaty of peace with Italy (1947)|Paris Peace Treaty]] (1947), the only exception being the [[Comune|commune]]s of [[Muggia]] and [[San Dorligo della Valle]].

The [[Free Territory of Trieste]] was established by demand of the [[United Nations Security Council]] through its [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 16|Resolution 16]] of January 1947, under Article 24 of the [[Charter of the United Nations|UN charter]], calling for the creation of a [[free state (government)|free state]] in Trieste and the region surrounding it. A permanent statute codifying its provisions was to become recognized under [[international law]] upon the appointment of an international governor approved by the Quatripartite Powers. On 15 September 1947, the peace treaty between the United Nations and Italy was ratified, establishing the Free Territory of Trieste. The official languages were [[Slovene language|Slovene]], Italian and [[Croatian language|Croatian]]. However, the territory did not receive its planned self-government and it was maintained under [[military occupation]], respecting the division into two zones as decided by the [[Morgan Line]]: Zone A, which was 222.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and had 262,406 residents including Trieste, was administered by [[British military|British]] and [[United States military|American]] forces, while Zone B, which was 515.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> with 71,000 residents including north-western Istria, was administered by the [[Yugoslav People's Army]].

Between October 1947 and March 1948 the Soviet Union rejected the candidacy of 12 nominations for governor, at which point the Tripartite Powers (the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]]), issued a note to [[Moscow]] and Belgrade on 20 March 1948, recommending that the territory be returned to Italian sovereignty. No governor was ever appointed under the terms of the [[United Nations resolution|UN Resolution]]. The Territory thus never functioned as a real [[independent state]]. Even so, its formal status was generally respected and it issued its own postage stamps. The [[Tito–Stalin split|break between the Tito government and the USSR]] in mid-1948 resulted in the proposal to return the territory to Italy being suspended until 1954. 

After World War II, [[Italian irredentism]] disappeared along with the defeated Fascists and the Monarchy of the [[House of Savoy]]. After the [[Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947|Treaty of Paris]] (1947) and the [[Treaty of Osimo]] (1975), all territorial claims were abandoned by the [[Italian Republic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkiesta.it/2012/06/litalia-per-de-gaulle-non-un-paese-povero-ma-un-povero-paese/|title=L'Italia per De Gaulle: "Non un paese povero, ma un povero paese"|access-date=9 September 2023|language=it}}</ref> The Italian irredentist movement thus vanished from Italian politics.

== Cold War (1945–89) ==
[[File:Free Territory of Trieste Map.svg|thumb|Map of the [[Free Territory of Trieste]] and its division after the [[Treaty of Osimo]] (1975)]]
The [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] was one of only two European countries that were liberated by its own forces during World War II, with limited assistance and participation by the Allies. It received support from the Western democracies and the [[Soviet Union]], and at the end of the war no foreign troops were stationed on its soil. Partly as a result, the country found itself halfway between the two camps at the onset of the [[Cold War]].

In 1947–1948, the Soviet Union attempted to command obedience from Yugoslavia, primarily on issues of [[Foreign policy of the Soviet Union|foreign policy]], which resulted in the [[Tito–Stalin split]] and almost ignited an armed conflict. A period of very cool relations with the Soviet Union followed, during which the US and the UK considered persuading Yugoslavia into the newly formed [[NATO]]. This changed in 1953 with the Trieste crisis, a tense dispute between Yugoslavia and the Western Allies over the eventual Yugoslav-Italian border (see [[Free Territory of Trieste]]), and with Yugoslav-Soviet reconciliation in 1956. This ambivalent position at the start of the Cold War matured into the [[Non-Aligned Movement|non-aligned]] foreign policy which Yugoslavia actively espoused until its dissolution.

The issue of the status of Trieste was finally settled with the [[Treaty of Osimo]], signed on 10 November 1975 by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Italian Republic in [[Osimo]], Italy, to definitely divide the Free Territory of Trieste between the two states. The treaty was written in French and became effective on 11 October 1977. It was based on the [[memorandum of understanding]] signed in London in 1954, which had handed over the civil administration of Zone A to Italy and Zone B to Yugoslavia. Zone A, including the city of Trieste, became the Italian [[Province of Trieste]], but Yugoslavia was granted free access to its port.

== Dissolution of Yugoslavia ==
{{see also|Breakup of Yugoslavia|History of the Italian Republic#Tangentopoli corruption scandal and Mani pulite inquiry}}

The period of the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]] coincided with a season of political scandals and turmoil in Italy (the [[Tangentopoli]] affair and [[Mani Pulite]] inquiry), which brought de-consolidation of the Italian party system and a temporary general weakness in [[Foreign relations of Italy|Italian foreign policy]].

In this short time frame, Italy mainly backed its allies' moves in the Yugoslav crisis, such as the February 1991 German initiative, US-inspired, of threatening economic isolation of Yugoslavia in the lack of multi-party elections.<ref name=iac>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iacenter.org/folder02/hidden_em.htm |title=IAC center |access-date=15 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225000239/http://iacenter.org/folder02/hidden_em.htm |archive-date=25 December 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1992, following the US, the Vatican, and the EC, Italy recognized the independence of [[Slovenia]] and [[Croatia]].<ref>''Dichiarazione congiunta sullo stabilimento di relazioni diplomatiche'' (Lubiana, 17 January 1992)</ref> Italy also recognized [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]].

==Aftermath==

* [[Croatia–Italy relations]] 
* [[Italy–Montenegro relations]]
* [[Italy–Slovenia relations]]
* [[Italy–Serbia relations]]

==See also== 
* [[Foreign relations of Italy]]
* [[Foreign relations of Yugoslavia]] 
* [[Yugoslavia–European Communities relations]]
* [[Mediterranean Games]]
* [[Death and state funeral of Josip Broz Tito]]
* [[Yugoslavia at the 1956 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Yugoslavia at the 1960 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Italy at the 1984 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990]]
* [[Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991]]
* [[Dalmatian Italians]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==

* Latinović, Goran. "Yugoslav-Italian Economic Relations (1918‒1929): Main Aspects." ''Balcanica'' 46 (2015): 171-194 [https://dais.sanu.ac.rs/bitstream/handle/123456789/6113/09%20Goran%20Latinovic.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y online].
* Pavlović, Vojislav G. "Le conflit franco-italien dans les Balkans 1915–1935. Le rôle de la Yougoslavie." ''Balcanica'' 36 (2005): 163-203 [http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/ft.aspx?id=0350-76530536163P online in French].
* Zametica, Jovan. "Sir Austen Chamberlain and the Italo-Yugoslav crisis over Albania February-May 1927." ''Balcanica'' 36 (2005): 203-235. [https://dais.sanu.ac.rs/bitstream/id/21168/4340.pdf online]


{{Foreign relations of Italy}}
{{Foreign relations of Yugoslavia}}

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[[Category:Italy–Yugoslavia relations| ]]
[[Category:Italy–Serbia relations|Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Italy–Slovenia relations|Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Croatia–Italy relations|Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Italy|Yugoslavia]]
[[Category:1918 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Yugoslavia|Italy]]
[[Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina–Italy relations]]
[[Category:Italy–Kosovo relations]]
[[Category:Italy–Montenegro relations]]
[[Category:Italy–North Macedonia relations]]