YUGOSLAV COMMUNISTS AND THE ALBANIAN QUESTION IN YUGOSLAVIA 1918–1945

This paper presents the main developments in the shaping of the leadership’s views of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia towards the Albanian population and the issue of the realisation of national rights of Albanians from 1918 to 1945. It first highlights the position of the Serbian social democrats on this issue before World War I, as they significantly influenced the opinions of Yugoslav communists after 1918. It then discusses the position of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia regarding the Albanian question during the existence of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) and during its occupation in World War II (1941–1945). Finally, it analyses the national policy of the new authorities of the Yugoslav state towards the Albanian minority in the southern part of the country during the establishment of the communist regime in Yugoslavia in 1945. The work was written on the basis of relevant literature and historical sources, mainly from the Archives of Yugoslavia.