Page 264 - Hrobat Virloget, Katja. 2021. V tišini spomina: "eksodus" in Istra. Koper, Trst: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Založništvo tržaškega tiska
P. 264
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to decide to migrate. An important role was played by the uncertain eco-
nomic conditions, characterised by socialist reforms, confiscations of pri-
vate property, prohibition of a colonate, the distribution of expropriated
land, prohibition of itinerant trade and similar, mostly affecting the upper
social class that was mainly Italian. The distress felt by the Italians can also
be discerned indirectly from the testimonies of migrants concerning how
they had settled in property owned by Italians. At the same time, migra-
tion offered an opportunity to opt for a better life, given that the post-war
economic conditions in Istria were extremely dire. This was further influ-
enced by the fixing of the state border which interrupted the established
social, economic, trading and employment ties with the regional economic
centre in Trieste. Some left Istria for economic reasons because they had
jobs in Trieste, and the same was true for craftsmen and traders who were
deprived of their assets. Temporary strict measures on border crossings
and their temporary closure only added to the fear and the feeling of hope-
lessness. Many people only migrated to preserve their family ties with the
majority who had decided to leave.
Another strong reason for migration was the sense of alienation as in
the new political, social and linguistic environment, with severed social
ties, Italians started to consider themselves strangers in their own home.
As they did not speak the new language, the Italians became the targets of
psychological violence and were in a subordinate position at work, espe-
cially in the public administration. However, this sense of alienation also
arises from the alienation from society due to the collective criminalisa-
tion, pushing some Italians to the edge of survival. The pressure on the
freedom to express one’s Italian identity was also felt among the overall
socialist pressures on religious traditions given that suppressing the tra-
ditions of a group means indirectly suppressing its identity. This was only
one of the many pressures that made the Italians feel insecure and be afraid
to express their own identity. The new Yugoslav social system overturned
the decades of the established social system of the ‘superior Italian civil-
isation and the Slavic barbarism’ under fascism, causing many Italians to
lose their jobs due to their inability to speak Slovenian. The reasons for
migration might also be ascribed to this resistance to seeing the ‘inferior
Slavic slaves’ become the ‘masters.’ Another important role in whipping
up the fear was played by the Italian anti-Yugoslav propaganda, owing to
which many migrations may be regarded as a ‘plebiscite of Italianism,’ i.e.
an instrument of pressure in the international negotiations on the affil-
iation of Istria. According to the testimonies and research, townspeople
262
to decide to migrate. An important role was played by the uncertain eco-
nomic conditions, characterised by socialist reforms, confiscations of pri-
vate property, prohibition of a colonate, the distribution of expropriated
land, prohibition of itinerant trade and similar, mostly affecting the upper
social class that was mainly Italian. The distress felt by the Italians can also
be discerned indirectly from the testimonies of migrants concerning how
they had settled in property owned by Italians. At the same time, migra-
tion offered an opportunity to opt for a better life, given that the post-war
economic conditions in Istria were extremely dire. This was further influ-
enced by the fixing of the state border which interrupted the established
social, economic, trading and employment ties with the regional economic
centre in Trieste. Some left Istria for economic reasons because they had
jobs in Trieste, and the same was true for craftsmen and traders who were
deprived of their assets. Temporary strict measures on border crossings
and their temporary closure only added to the fear and the feeling of hope-
lessness. Many people only migrated to preserve their family ties with the
majority who had decided to leave.
Another strong reason for migration was the sense of alienation as in
the new political, social and linguistic environment, with severed social
ties, Italians started to consider themselves strangers in their own home.
As they did not speak the new language, the Italians became the targets of
psychological violence and were in a subordinate position at work, espe-
cially in the public administration. However, this sense of alienation also
arises from the alienation from society due to the collective criminalisa-
tion, pushing some Italians to the edge of survival. The pressure on the
freedom to express one’s Italian identity was also felt among the overall
socialist pressures on religious traditions given that suppressing the tra-
ditions of a group means indirectly suppressing its identity. This was only
one of the many pressures that made the Italians feel insecure and be afraid
to express their own identity. The new Yugoslav social system overturned
the decades of the established social system of the ‘superior Italian civil-
isation and the Slavic barbarism’ under fascism, causing many Italians to
lose their jobs due to their inability to speak Slovenian. The reasons for
migration might also be ascribed to this resistance to seeing the ‘inferior
Slavic slaves’ become the ‘masters.’ Another important role in whipping
up the fear was played by the Italian anti-Yugoslav propaganda, owing to
which many migrations may be regarded as a ‘plebiscite of Italianism,’ i.e.
an instrument of pressure in the international negotiations on the affil-
iation of Istria. According to the testimonies and research, townspeople
262
