crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
from functions) all those that did not agree with its measures. It dealt with the remains of ex-parties
by staging big court trials. In Slovenia these were: at the end of 1945 against the ex-liberals, in 1946
against the leaders of the Catholic Church and the Home-guard, in 1947 against the so-called ‘middle’,
and in 1948 against members of the Communist party itself. These big trials went on until 1952.
However, these actions were only the consolidation of the power of the CPY and CP of Slovenia. Both
actually came into power during the war. In the first place, by aggressively giving tone to the liberation
movement and later, by leaving no space for the opposition. When they gradually accomplished this,
they turned towards the take-over of the state and all political institutions, remodelling them according
to their needs. It can also be said that, in general, the CPY followed a leftist policy in all this. The Soviet
Union and the Comintern tried to appease that orientation for reasons of its own. However, it sometimes
appears that such a leftist policy soothed the Soviets as well, and that their reprimands were merely a
performance for the benefit of the Anti-fascist Alliance. This was true only to a certain extent since they
did not approve of the CPY’s dedication to world revolution, even after the war. Kardelj, for instance,
explained to the Slovene party leadership in late June 1945 that Trieste was the necessary stepping stone
for the spread of the revolution into Central Europe. That meant the idea of a world revolution was not
forgotten and there is just reason to believe that this was one of the many reasons for the Cominform
split.
In conclusion, it should be pointed out that the take-over of power in Yugoslavia was a selfmade
revolution, modelled and influenced strongly by its only living example – the Soviet Union. It
started early and for that reason it developed its main characteristics earlier than the rest of Eastern
Europe. The best proof of this is Kardelj’s discussion at the plenary session of the Central Committee
of the CPY in April 1948. Surprised by the Soviet accusations, he said the following: the period from
1937 to 1941 was the time of the recovery of our party, the strengthening of the ties with the “broad
masses”, and preparations for an upheaval. During the war the party created a strong regular army, it
became “steeled” and it implanted the deep faith in the Soviet Union, helping with its own hands, the
strengthening of popular democracy in Eastern Europe. In the third period (after the war), the party
liquidated capitalism and carried out agrarian reform and nationalisation. We have always fought for
the promotion of socialism in our country, “for pure Marxism-Leninism”. The Soviet Union always
acknowledged us, and considered our help correct and useful. All this has not been a small issue in these
past ten years. 39
The state that came out of such a revolution was a thoroughly centralised state, which soon
embraced all of the other principles of a peoples’ democracy, such as a centralized planning system,
nationalization, state-owned economy, five year plans, a cadre CP, state functions closely interlaced
with the communist party, Soviet advisers and strong economic and cultural ties with the Soviet Union
and its satellites, etc. The promises regarding the national question were set aside; the national question
was declared solved.
39
Archive of Yugoslavia, Archive of the CC of the LCY, II/2.
37