Yugoslavism

**Yugoslavism** (also sometimes called **Yugoslavdom**) is the idea that the South Slavs — such as Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bosniaks, Montenegrins, and Macedonians — share a common identity and should be united in one state.

## What Yugoslavism means

Yugoslavism argues that despite differences in language, religion, or history, South Slavs share enough in common — culture, heritage, and historical experience — to form a united people. The goal is to overcome ethnic divisions and promote unity and cooperation among the various South Slav groups.

There have been different versions of Yugoslavism. One version pushed for a single, unified nation, merging all ethnic groups into a single “Yugoslav” nationality. Another version preferred a federation, where republics remain autonomous but are united under a common Yugoslav state, preserving local identities while sharing political structures.

## Historical background

The roots of Yugoslavism go back to efforts in the 19th century among South Slavs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who sought cultural and political unity against pressures of foreign domination.

During and after World War I, the idea gained political weight. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the South Slav lands united to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later called the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) on 1 December 1918. This new state was founded on the idea of a common Yugoslav identity.

There were always tensions between those favoring a centralized “integral” Yugoslav identity and those supporting a more decentralized, federal Yugoslav state. These tensions shaped politics in the Kingdom and later Yugoslavia.

## Yugoslavism under Socialist Yugoslavia

After World War II, under the socialist regime led by Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavism took on a new form: the idea of a shared socialist Yugoslav identity intended to transcend ethnic and national divisions.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, the socialist leadership promoted Yugoslav identity among citizens. But by the mid‑1960s, the concept began to be redefined. Scholars identify two variants: one promoted by the state (socialist Yugoslavism without ethnic emphasis), and another — a “national” Yugoslav identity — which remained only among a small portion of the population.

Because the socialist state never formally recognized a single “Yugoslav” nation in ethnic terms, many people continued to identify with their republic’s nationality, which contributed to weakening of the Yugoslav identity over time.

## Identity and Popular Support

In the 1981 census, about 1.2 million people (approx. 6% of the population) declared themselves as “Yugoslav”.

Among youth, surveys showed even higher support — in one study ~16% identified as ethnic Yugoslavs and ~36% preferred Yugoslav identity over other ethnic identities. This suggests that for some young people Yugoslavism represented a form of supra‑ethnic or civic identity rather than traditional national identity.

Nevertheless, many still maintained traditional ethnic identities (Serb, Croat, Slovene, etc.), and allegiance to ethnicity often remained stronger than the Yugoslav idea.

## Challenges and Decline

Because Yugoslavism was interpreted differently over time, and because South Slavic peoples had different languages, religions, and histories, the idea often struggled to maintain a unified identity across all groups. Scholars argue that the lack of a clear, stable definition of “Yugoslav” — who counted as Yugoslav — made long-term unity difficult.

Over decades, especially under rising ethnic nationalism and political crises, the cohesion under Yugoslav identity weakened. After the death of Tito and during the 1980s crisis, many citizens returned to identifying with their ethnic or republic affiliation rather than Yugoslav identity.

By the early 1990s, Yugoslavism as a mass identity and political ideology had largely collapsed under pressures of ethnic division, political conflict, and the breakup of the state.

## Legacy and Modern Relevance

Today, Yugoslavism lives on mainly as a cultural or nostalgic idea for some people who remember or idealize the former Yugoslav state and the unity among South Slavs. Some scholars analyse it as a “failed idea” — showing how difficult it is to form a supra‑ethnic national identity in a region with deep ethnic, religious, and historical divisions.

Interest in Yugoslav identity does occasionally resurface — often among younger generations, diaspora, or groups advocating multiculturalism or regional cooperation — but nothing on the scale of the former Yugoslav state exists today.

## Summary

Yugoslavism was an idea about unity of South Slavs — aiming to bring together diverse peoples under a shared identity. It inspired the creation of Yugoslavia after World War I, shaped politics under the socialist regime, and at one point had real support as a supra‑ethnic identity. But because of deep ethnic, cultural and historical differences, and the rise of nationalist tensions, the idea ultimately failed to hold society together. Today it remains a contested memory and subject of historical study — a “failed idea” that reflects both dreams of unity and the limits of building a common identity across diversity.