Page 94 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(2) (2023)

(Marušič 2004, 59). The name was translated or establishment of demarcation lines and new
into Slovene as Avstrijsko primorje, and this is borders has a profound impact on all aspects
why the region came to be known as Primorska. of life. In addition to the political relations be-
This name is still used today to refer to the west- tween the countries or lands involved, it affects
ern part of Slovenia. On the other hand, the ter- the living conditions of people who find them-
ritory in question also acquired the Italian name selves in new border contexts, in new realities.
of Venezia Giulia. This was how it was referred to When new borders are established, especially in
after 1863 by the Italian nationalists who consid- areas that have been the subject of conflict for
ered this territory to be historically Italian (Ka- many years, life changes drastically. New bor-
4
vrečič 2020, 115). This paper will partly present ders also create new relationships and conditions
the period following World War I, however, the for living and coexisting. Adapting to a new re-
main focus will be on the period after the end of ality always requires much effort and ingenui-
94 World War II. After 1918, the region of Primors- ty. If we focus on the question of the delimita-
ka (the former Austrian Littoral and partly Ven-
tion of the border between Yugoslavia and Italy
ezia Giulia) was subject to political negotiations. in the northern Adriatic after the end of World
studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 11 (2023), številka 2 / volume 11 (2023), number 2
As Italy was actively involved in the war and was War II, we can see that the resolution of this is- ti
on the side of ‘the winners’, the promised territo- sue was complex and protracted. In order to un-
ries were assigned to the state. After diplomatic derstand the dynamics and relations manifested
negotiations with the Kingdom of Serbs (also al- between the two countries and other powers in-
lies), Croats and Slovenes, the territory formally volved, it is necessary to explain the process of ta
passed to Italy in 1920 (Treaty of Rapallo). The border creation itself. The area subject to demar-
former Austrian Littoral officially acquired the cation that is discussed in this paper was ethni-
name Venezia Giulia. Venezia Giulia, known in cally diverse and no clear dividing line could be
Slovene as Julijska Krajina (also Julijska Beneči- drawn based on ‘national’ affiliation. In addi- di
ja) and Julian March in English, became a uni- tion, the future Yugoslav-Italian border was also
versally accepted name during the negotitations the site of an ideological struggle between two
for border delineation in the period following political-social-economic systems. It is therefore
World War II. not surprising that international powers became
After the end of World War II, the political involved in the process of bordering through
power positions changed. Post-war Yugoslavia – their diplomatic representatives.
part of the anti-fascist and anti-nazi alliance dur- here
ing the war – claimed the territories that it be- The Long Process to a New Border,
lieved were unfairly assigned to Italy after World the Case of Istria
War I. The disputed border in this region was As an interlocutor explained:
not only the process of bordering between two
countries, but also between two opposite polit- Most of Istria, including us, remained un-
ical systems. der Yugoslavia... so, for us the change was
Negotiating where to draw a demarcation like going out of the frying pan into the fire.
line and reaching a consensus or agreement on They were not much more... zone A was far
the border between all parties involved is a com- up north, zone B was still there anyway, they
plex process that has taken place in different his- could cross with passes every day, the rest
torical periods and circumstances. The drawing of us [outside the zones, note P.K.] once a
month, and even then we were checked ‘to
4 Also, in the context of the irredentist movement: in the
Italian perception, especially political, this region repre- the bone’... if we wanted to buy one kilo of studiauniversitatis
sented the ‘redemption’ of the provinces that had been as- rice, or one kilo of pasta, or two bananas for
sociated with the long Venetian presence. Its heritage had the child, then washing powder or soap, you
been used as justification for Italian territorial appetites
since the 19th century. had to have lire. And if we got these lire, we