engleski

Made in Yugoslavia: Goods from the Sunny Side of Communism

Since the Cominform Resolution in 1948 and consequent economic boycott of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav economic development has shown the major deficiencies of Soviet patterned economy. In the search for an ‘authentic socialism’ the New Economic System (NES) was enacted resulting with self-managed economy in 1950s. The changes introduced by the NES were soon followed by the quest for improvement of living standard and then finally, by the rise of a consumer society. Namely, since mid-1950s two general directives became increasingly evident in federal year plans, especially in the Social Development Plan for Yugoslavia 1957-1961 - the living standard improvement and the increase in spending power of working people and citizens. At the same time development of heavy, basic industry was not more in the focus of economic policy and the economic planning, but a development of light, consumer industry and consequently an increase of production of consumer goods. Against a backdrop of cooling relations with the Soviet bloc, Yugoslavia although positioned behind the Iron Curtain enjoyed a special treatment from the Western bloc countries. That included import of technologies, experts and raw materials but also, what is more important in regard to consumer goods production, it offered an opportunity of licensed production for Western brands (like Adidas, Puma, Levi’s, Coca Cola, etc.). In the focus of the paper are the consumer goods produced in kombinat Borovo and kombinat Jugoplastika, the Yugoslav largest producers of rubber (Borovo) and polymere (Jugoplastika) consumer goods. Borovo (previously Bat’a) situated in Vukovar, Croatia was founded in 1931 and is still operating in smaller scale. In the interwar as well in the socialist era it was a synonym for footwear, especially work, leisure and free time footwear. Today, Borovo’s Startas is one of the favorite brands particularly among young people. Jugoplastika, on the other hand was one of the crests of Yugoslav postwar industrialization. It was founded in 1952 in Split, Croatia at a time when industrial production in Yugoslavia was conforming to a specific Yugoslav way of life marked by the esprit of westernization. The Jugoplastika’s products were the indispensable part of happy childhood, summer vacations, wardrobe and even the (in)famous Yugo automobile. In the process of transition and reform in 1990s kombinat Jugoplastika was first fragmented, filed for bankruptcy and finally removed from Registry. The products and workers became dispensable and almost forgotten if they have not, just for a few days, resurfaced at the exhibition “Radni teren Jugoplastika (Groundwork Jugoplastika)” in 2011 in Split and during the action Jugoplastika + podrška sjećanju (Jugoplastika + supporting the memory) held in the eve of Jugoplastika’s would be 60th anniversary in Split in 2012.

Yugoslavia, Borovo, Jugoplastika, consumer goods, industry

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