African Lessons for a European Alliance. The Role of Africa in the Relations Between the Yugoslav and Italian Communists

This paper examines in detail how the Yugoslav and Italian parties viewed Africa in their discussions over the long period from 1945 to 1980. Within these exchanges, a certain Yugoslav paternalism toward Africa emerged. The Yugoslav leadership promoted a global socialist vision that differed from the Soviet one - shared by their Italian comrades. These differences surfaced in discussions on a number of issues, but they became particularly clear in debates concerning Africa. Yugoslav sources further reveal that the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) did not seek merely to defend its African policies. Rather, the Yugoslav leadership hoped to influence its Italian counterparts. Belgrade aimed to challenge Soviet dogmas and to promote an alternative outlook on Africa and on socialism more broadly. The history of these Yugoslav efforts constitutes the central focus of this paper.