Quaderni, Vol. XXXVII No. 1, 2026.
Original scientific paper
RIJEKA IN DOCUMENTS OF THE YUGOSLAV COMMISSION FOR BORDERS FROM 1945
Orietta Moscarda
; Centro di ricerche storiche – Rovigno
Abstract
The paper explores Croatian archival sources concerning Rijeka within the context
of postwar border definition. The said documents underline the role of historical,
ethnic, economic and administrative arguments in the international debate on
defining borders in the Adriatic. The sources indicate that these elements were used
to support Yugoslav territorial claims during the peace negotiations, highlighting in
particular the alleged historical and demographic links of Rijeka with Yugoslavia.
The documents on the 1945 Yugoslav census are particularly important since
they show the criteria for the classification of the population and the historical
interpretations promoted by the authorities. All materials reflect the national and
political conflict that characterised Rijeka in the period between the collapse of
the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the post-World War Two era. Croatian scholars
from Istria and Rijeka presented census data, administrative records, academic and
cultural references as evidence supporting the Yugoslav position, wishing to refute
the thesis on the Italian identity of Rijeka and to attribute the Italian presence to
state policies and administrative immigration. Ultimately, the sources also underline
the differences in the implementation of rigid national categories in a border city,
characterised instead by social mobility, linguistic plurality and multiple identities.
Keywords
Venezia Giulia, Fiume, Yugoslav Border Commission, 1947 Peace Treaty, demography, nationality
Hrčak ID:
353241
URI
Publication date:
12.11.2026.
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