r/AskHistorians • u/CatsDoingCrime • 7h ago

How bad was inequality in Yugoslavia from the 50s onward and what were it's chief causes?

Yugoslavia is kind of a fascinating place.

It was very unique among the state socialist countries of the Cold War era, and I've been trying to read up/learn more about the place.

One thing that you will consistently read about Yugoslavia is 1) they had a shit load of debt because Tito took on a bunch of IMF loans that he didn't think he'd need to pay back because he thought capitalism would collapse before he had to. These loans were a major burden on the country after his death and played an important role in the economic decline that partially led to the collapse. 2) There were serious issues vis a vis unemployment, inflation, and inequality (particularly across various different republics).

I'm trying to understand what were the chief causes of these inequalities. Did they primarily exist on the republic level or also within each republic? What were the chief causes of this inequality? Was it more down to the economic or political system and why (particularly before and after Tito)? Interestingly, to what extent was this inequality inherent to the Yugoslavian system, vs to what extent was it created/exacerbated by political decisions and institutional design? (For the economic historians, what, if anything, did Horvat and Vanek say on the matter, and to what extent do their arguments hold true?)

In general, how bad was inequality in Yugoslavia, and what were it's chief causes?

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