Baština (Jan 2012)
Communist party of Yugoslavia and its activity in Kosovo and Metohia during the Second World War
Abstract
The attitude of CPY toward the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and later on Yugoslavia, including the issue of annexation of Kosovo and Metohia to Albania, was being evolved. During the interwar period it largely coincided with the attitudes of Communist International (Kominterna), and mostly corresponded to the requests of the Albanians in Kosovo and Metohia. In the initial years of the Second World War, political circumstances in Kosovo and Metohia were disorganized, which was the result of the structure of the Albanian population, condition left by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, politics of great powers 'divide et impera', and the make up and isolation of Territorial Committee of CPY for Kosovo and Metohia - it was very unproportional, mostly in favour of Serbian members. Until the Bujan's Conference, Albanian communists did not extend their request for the annexation of Kosovo and Metohia to Albania, and opposed to Balli Kombetar. On the other hand, communist movement made great concessions to Albanian nationalists, and at the same time, suppressed Albanian anti-communist movement. The recognition of the right to self-determination up to secession was not disappeared completely. One of the concession was the change of the title 'Metohia' in 'Dukadjin' (November 1943), although 'Dukadjin' included a larger geographic area. Furthermore, the second way of concession was the Bujan's Conference which included 49 participants out of which only 7 participants were Serbs. 1/5 of them were not from Kosovo and Metohia. The Resolution itself gave an overview of the inter-war situation in Kosovo and Metohia until the conference - the policy of agrarian reform and colonization was condemned, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was considered as imperialistic creation putting the Albanians into the second place etc. Generally speaking, after the capitulation of Italy, Albanian communists started infiltrating their ideas of Great Albania through the Territorial Committee of CPY for Kosovo and Metohia, since they could not do it through the Italian propaganda. No matter how the war will end up (but it was largely known the fascism will lose the war), Kosovo and Metohia should be annexed to Albania. There were no requests for the independence of Kosovo and Metohia. Finally, without foreseeing the final attitude toward the policy of CPY in Kosovo and Metohia, it can be said that CPY, making concessions to Albanian nation in Kosovo and Metohia, opened the possibility of rudimentary ways of Kosovo-Metohian area institutionalization (Territorial Committee of CPY for Kosovo and Metohia and Military Committee (1943).
