This thesis explores the role played by the Slovenian communist Boris Kidrič during the crucial period of Yugoslav history, from 1946 to 1953. During this period, Kidrič chaired the Economic Council of the FPRY and the Planning Commission, and in these two positions he guided the economic development of Yugoslavia. In 1948, Yugoslavia was expelled from the Cominform and the Yugoslav leadership came into open conflict with the Soviet leadership. This situation enabled Kidrič, supported by the most important Slovenian communist and CPY's leading theoretician, Edvard Kardelj, to chart a new course of economic development, which represented a radical departure from Soviet practice. Throughout this period, both Kidrič and Kardelj were among the main opponents of forced collectivisation. Kidrič's reforms were driven primarily by consideration of practical problems facing the Yugoslav economy. Soon after taking over the leading position in the Yugoslav economic administration, Kidrič became aware of the administrative planning system's many shortcomings, such as the poor quality of products, limited product range, and problems with the distribution of goods. Forced industrialisation, along with the blockade imposed by the Soviet Bloc countries, created a situation where the industrial labour force was growing too quickly, threatening the food supply in the cities. The industrial labour force was unstable and undisciplined, workers frequently changed jobs, while managers, pressured to achieve the five-year plan's targets, competed for workers. Kidrič’s solutions proposed a greater role for the market, a looser system of economic planning, and the participation of work collectives in production-related decisions, as well as rewarding them for their efficiency by giving them the power to allocate part of the profits. This system was aimed at ensuring fast growth in labour productivity and a stable workforce. The socialist system, defined by workers' councils, market relations, and a looser system of planning, was developed by combining a critique of Soviet socialism, experiences from the National Liberation War, and adaptation to the many problems that plagued Yugoslav socialism in its early years.
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