Relocation of Serbian industry during the Informbiro period information

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The moving of the Serbian industry to western Yugoslav republics was a strategy of the government of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia to conduct massive transfer of industrial plants, machinery, technology and experts from PR Serbia to the western republics of Yugoslavia (primarily PR Croatia and PR Slovenia) during the Informbiro period (1948—52) and shortly after it. In some cases, only parts of industrial plants were moved while in others the whole factories were dismounted and transported out of Serbia.^[1] Since the ratio of highly educated people was very low at that time, moving experts out of Serbia had substantial negative consequences for its future development.^[2]

The Yugoslav communist leadership, supported by Slovene and Croatian communists, used expected Soviet invasion as an official explanation for this project while Serbian and Montenegrin communists argued against it. The Slovene and Croatian side argued that their republics' substantially higher level of average academic achievement and education among urban population of PR Slovenia and PR Croatia at the time would make it easier to find additional skilled workers than in PR Serbia or likewise replace existing Serbian ones if necessary. According to a CIA report, Josip Broz Tito supported Slovenian and Croatian communists. The number of factories moved from Serbia to western Yugoslav republics is between 70 and 76, according to texts published in contemporary media.^[3] The destination of moved Serbian industry were primarily the republics of Croatia and Slovenia, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, while some industry ended up in Albania.^[4]

The moved industry included aircraft production and heavy vehicle production.

Since many new destinations for the Serbian industry were much closer to Soviet-controlled territories, i.e. Maribor in Slovenia or Varaždin in Croatia, than their original locations in Serbia, many authors concluded that the real reason for moving Serbian industries out of Serbia was not fear of Soviet invasion but communist intention to punish Serbian nationalists for their rhetoric and aspiration of reforming Yugoslavia as a Greater Serbian state. ^{[citation needed]}