yugoslavias implosion

all, those having to do with the market as a precondition to genuine
democratic transformation. The constitution was key to the transformation
of the country. A wing of Serbian Communists headed
by Marko Nikezić and Latinka Perović recognized the essence of
the federal option for the future of Yugoslavia, and therefore also of
Serbia, and took part in the formulation of amendments to the 1974
Constitution.
The federalization of Serbia under the 1974 Constitution reflected
different historical and national legacies, political cultures, and
modes of economic development. The 1974 Constitution was forced
through by the republican and provincial establishments, although,
paradoxically, the proponents of these changes were soon replaced.
The departure of these fundamentally liberal party members meant
victory for the conservative wing and the nationalist opposition.
The replacement of the liberals was partly the result of pressure
from the Soviet Union, whose attitude toward Yugoslavia was very
aggressive. The Soviet Union dreaded the possibility that the Yugoslav
Communist model might gain support in the Soviet Union. The
Soviets, who were keenly aware of Yugoslavia’s weaknesses, particularly
in the national sphere, tried to enhance their presence in Yugoslavia,
especially in the structures opposing decentralization—that is,
in the ypa and other strongholds in Serbia and in other republics.
The Aftermath
Many in Serbia saw the new constitution as a signal to Serbs to
fight for their “dangerously imperiled national identity and integrity,
which is the basic precondition of their further historical
self-preservation.” 42 Serbian nationalists elaborated on the thesis that
for the Serbian people there was no possibility of a life with others;
they could not use the Cyrillic script in Bosnia-Herzegovina and they
had no right to their own name in Montenegro. Although the Serbs
42 Pravi anali, (Legal Records) Beograd, 1971.No. 3
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