THE PARIS PEACE TREATY, THE NEW BORDER BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA AND ITALY AND THE ANNEXATION OF PRIMORSKA TO SLOVENIA
Koper - Nova Gorica, 25 - 27 September 1997
The year 1997 will be characterised by an anniversary significant for Slovenia and for Slovenes, especially for those living in Primorska. This year 50 years have elapsed since Paris Peace Treaty was signed with Italy, which with this act lost most of the Slovene and Croatian places won with military and political force during and after World War I. The events after the year 1945 have been characterised by hard diplomatic struggle for borders, which was finished on February 10, 1947, when in Paris the great powers with Yugoslavia on their side signed the peace treaty with Italy. With this Roman government had to renounce most of the Julian March in favour of Yugoslavia (i.e. Slovenia and Croatia) and to reconcile itself with the foundation of the Free Territory of Trieste — a miniature tampon state between the two neighbours on the Adriatic Sea. The treaty was put into force on September 15, 1947, when also the Free Territory of Trieste should have come to existence, which, however, due to conflicts between the West and the East, never became a reality.
The above events, which in the years after World War II were also included into the emerging cold war and interwoven with a number of crises, led to an achievement of paramount importance for our nation and our country. We Slovenes (albeit at that time in the realm of Yugoslavia) expanded the national territory by almost a third, in the West we reached the internationally recognised borders, which are very close to our ethnic borders. With the later decay of the Free Territory of Trieste Slovenia also gained access to the sea thus procuring itself its own sea port, which is extremely significant for its role in the Mediterranean.
In spite of numerous studies (especially Italian ones) these decisive events of our semipast history have not been studied enough from the Slovene point of view. It is in the interest of our collective consciousness as well as in the interest of our state policy, however, to provide as exhaustive, comprehensive and scientifically grounded interpretations of the discussed period of time as possible. For this reason the anniversary of the Paris Peace Treaty is a precious opportunity to illuminate some characteristics of the period on an international congress at the right time and place, and to pass them on, enriched with new knowledge, to audiences in Slovenia and abroad.
Programme Framework
The congress will illuminate a historic event in Primorska in 1947. Along with acknowledged researchers from Slovenia, historians from the countries will take part in it which at that time were directly involved: USA, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, Italy and Austria.
The scientific meeting will be subdivided into a number of themes, which should illuminate the events connected with the Paris Peace Treaty and their consequences from different points of view: the introduction, the global diplomatic game, the policies of individual counties involved, the aspects of international law, the role of mass media and propaganda, economics, infrastructure (administration, education, culture), the problems of refugees, the fate and place of the Church.
The contents, their range and presentation will be set up interdisciplinary. To secure the most comprehensive approach to the issues the organisation of the congress will be based on historic discussion and historically-political interpretation, it will also tend to interdisciplinary elaboration of legal, sociological, ethnic, economic, psychological and other characteristics of the period.
Among the themes novelties will prevail, the outcomes of original archival research, in which the participants will be invited to take part. The leading reports will be accompanied by shorter co-reports, different forms of discussion (round tables, panel discussions) and multimedia presentations.
To be able to cover different dimensions of the events (three environments, in which the decision about borders had different consequences) as well as to emphasise our commitment to dialogue and to scientific co-operation with neighbours, the meeting will be carried out as a three days' itinerant congress: KOPER - NOVA GORICA - KOPER.
On behalf
of the programme committee:
Jože Pirjevec, PhD
SCIENCE AND RESEARCH CENTRE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA, KOPER
in cooperation with
THE INSTITUTE OF RECENT HISTORY, Ljubljana
THE SCIENCE INSTITUTE OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS, Ljubljana
THE INSTITUTE FOR THE NATIONALITY QUESTIONS, Ljubljana
THE REGIONAL MUSEUM, Koper
THE GORICA MUSEUM, Nova Gorica
International Conference THE PARIS PEACE TREATY,
THE NEW BORDER BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA AND ITALY AND
THE ANNEXATION OF PRIMORSKA TO SLOVENIA
Koper, Nova Gorica, 25-27 September 1997
Koper - Pokrajinski muzej, Kidričeva 19
Nova Gorica - Kulturni dom, Bevkov trg 4
DRAFT OF THE PROGRAMME
Thursday, 25 September
Koper, The Regional Museum, Kidričeva 19
9.00
Welcome addresses: the Director of ZRS Koper Lucija Čok and the Mayoress of Municipality Koper Mrs. Irena Fister
The introductory speech of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Milan Kučan
9.30 - 13.00
Chairman: Jože Pirjevec
Jože Pirjevec (Slovenia), The way to the Paris Peace Treaty - a diplomatic hurdle-race
Pietro Pastorelli (Italy), The Italian politics and the problem of the eastern border
Boris M. Gombač (Slovenia), Slovene politicians and intellectuals in Paris
Leonid Gibianskij (Russia), The Soviet Union and the border question
Zachary Irwin (America), USA policy towards Yugoslavia after the Second World War
Discussion
15.30 - 18.30
Chairman: Giampaolo Valdevit
Claude Fisera (France), Slovene frontiers, the frontiers of the Slavic world: panslavism, communism and geopolitics (1944-1947)
Petar Stržič (Croatia), Croatian involvement in diplomatic decisions of the New Yugoslavia
Robert Knight (England), Trieste and the Carinthian question
Jera Vodušek (Slovenia), New borders in foreign diplomatic archives
Giampaolo Valdevit (Italy), The allied and the Trieste question
Discussion
19.00
Opening of the exhibition “Primorska 1945-1947”
Friday, 26 September
Koper - The Regional Museum, Kidričeva 19
9.30 - 13.00
Chairman: Milica Kacin Wohinz
Introductory address by the Minister of science and technology Mr. Lojze Marinček
Dušan Nečak (Slovenia), Propaganda in the struggle for Western borders
Marija Obradovič (FR Yugoslavia), Military Administration of the Yugoslav Army in Zone B
Marco Galeazzi (Italy), The CPI and the Trieste problem
Metka Gombač (Slovenia), The new administration of Primorska 1945 - 1947
Nevenka Troha (Slovenia), The clergy of Primorska and their attitude towards the new Slovene borders
Discussion
15.30 - 18.30
Chairman: Salvator Žitko
Glenda Sluga (Australia), Imagining Ethnic Spaces: “Free Territory”, national sovereignty and the 1947 Peace Treaty
Maruša Zagradnik (Slovenia), Escapes, opting and emigration. The question of migrations 1945 - 1947
Marta Verginella (Slovenia), The attitude of Slovene Istrian countryside to global changes in society
Milan Pahor (Italy), Reawakening of cultural and educational activities in Trieste
Katja Colja (Slovenia), The attitude of the Slovene population of Trieste towards people’s authorities and towards the allies
Sandi Volk (Italy), The settlement of Istrian refugees in the province of Trieste: the aspects of a »national melioration«
Discussion
19.00
Viewing of a documentary video
Saturday, 27 September
Nova Gorica, Cultural centre, Bevkov trg 4
9.30 - 13.00
Chairman: Slavica Plahuta
Greeting addresses of Mr. Janez Podobnik, the President of the National Assembly, and Mr. Črtomir Špacapan, the Mayor of Nova Gorica
Karl Stuhlpfarrer (Austria), Littoral region in Austrian perspective
Božo Repe (Slovenia), The border question and economic question
Branko Marušič (Slovenia), The new border in the region of Gorica
Nataša Nemec (Slovenia), Film, manifestations 1945 - 1947
Miran Komac (Slovenia), Post-war aggressiveness in Venetian Slovenia
Discussion
Opening of the exhibition about newspapers between 1945 - 1947
15.30 - 18.30
Chairman: Dušan Nečak
Tone Ferenc - Boris Mlakar (Slovenia), The problem of the Western border with Slovenes 1941 - 1945
Samo Kristen (Slovenia), The allies and the Western border
Janko Pleterski (Slovenia), Planning a multinational state after 1945. A proposal by Slovene emigrants
Tristano Matta (Italy), Social struggles in the period after the Second World War
Andrej Malnič, Topography of the memory of Zone A
Aleš Gabrič (Slovenia), Slovene cultural institutions
Discussion
The conference was cofinanced by:
Ministry of Science and Technology of Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Culture of Republic of Slovenia, Municipality of Koper, sponsors
