Escape from Socialist Yugoslavia ‒ Illegal Emigration from Croatia from 1945 to the Beginning of the 1960s

U poslijeratnoj je socijalističkoj Jugoslaviji politička i/ili ekonomska situacija postala neprihvatljiva za dio populacije. Budući da legalno iseljavanje iz Hrvatske nije bilo dozvoljeno, od završetka Drugoga svjetskog rata rastao je broj ilegalnih emigranata. Rad se bavi upravo tom skupinom emigranata, i to poredbenom analizom izvorne arhivske građe i dostupne literature od 1945. do 1961., kada država postupno otvara granice. Ilegalno su emigrirali većinom mladi ljudi, do 25 godina, i to prije svega iz ekonomskih razloga, što je povezano s tradicijom emigracije, pogotovo u priobalnom području. Osim zbog loše ekonomske situacije emigriralo se i iz političkih razloga, zatim iz avanturizma, zbog izbjegavanja služenja u JNA ili bijega pred zakonom zbog počinjenih kaznenih djela. Bježalo se kopnenim ili, što je bilo mnogo uspješnije, morskim putem. Najčešće prvo odredište emigranata bile su Italija, Austrija i Njemačka, odakle se većina prebacivala u prekomorske zemlje. Najviše je ljudi bježalo iz tadašnjih kotareva Rijeka, Pula, Zagreb, Zadar, Šibenik i Split, iz kojih je potjecalo 74% svih ilegalnih emigranata. Prebjezi su većinom bili radnici, zatim zemljoradnici, učenici škola u privredi, službenici, učenici i studenti, pomorci i obrtnici. Prema rodnoj pripadnosti, među prebjezima je bilo mnogo više muškaraca nego žena, od kojih je većina bila neoženjena. Vlasti su radile na sprečavanju bijega u inozemstvo metodama nadzora granice i zatvorskim kaznama, ali i pokušajima osiguravanja boljih životnih uvjeta na ugroženim područjima. Budući da te mjere nisu dale željene rezultate, ali i zbog početka gospodarske krize te pojave nezaposlenosti, vlasti su liberalizirale postupke iseljavanja i otvorile granice iseljenicima, što je dovelo do novog vala ekonomske emigracije.In the post-war socialist Yugoslavia political and/or economic situation has become unacceptable for part of the population. Since legal emigration from Croatia was not allowed, the number of illegal immigrants increased since the end of World War II. The article deals with this group of migrants using the comparative analysis of original archival materials and available literature in the period from 1945 to 1961 when the state began to gradually open the border. Mostly young people, under 25 years of age, immigrated illegally, mainly for economic reasons, and this was associated with a tradition of emigration, especially in the coastal region. In addition to the poor economic situation, people also emigrated for political reasons, then for adventure, to avoid serving in the Yugoslav People’s Army or to escape from the law for committing criminal offenses. They were fleeing by land or by sea, which was much more successful. Usually the first destinations of the immigrants were Italy, Austria and Germany, from where the majority of them moved to overseas countries. Most people fled the districts of Rijeka, Pula, Zagreb, Zadar, Šibenik and Split that existed at that time so that 74% of all illegal immigrants came from them. The runaways were mostly workers, followed by farmers, vocational school students, public servants, pupils and students, sailors and craftsmen. According to gender, there were many more men than women among the runaways, most of whom were unmarried. The authorities were trying to prevent the escape abroad by methods of controlling the border and prison sentences, but also by the attempts to ensure better living conditions in the affected areas. As these measures had not yielded the desired results, but also due to the beginning of the economic crisis and the appearance of unemployment, the authorities liberalized emigration procedures and opened the borders to immigrants which resulted in a new wave of economic emigration