The Romanian Borders under the Pressure of the Soviet-Yugoslav Conflict

Abstract

This article's aim is to present the particular case of Romania’s border situation with Yugoslavia between 1948 and roughly 1955-56 as an extreme example of the “Westphalian culture of border control”, within the larger framework of the totalitarian communist model of managing one's borders. This will be achieved by evaluating the manner in which the Romanian border defence system was influenced by the political tensions that appeared between the Soviet Union and Tito’s Yugoslavia. Drawing on a strong and aggressive political discourse, implemented within the new border defence organization and structure, the philosophy of “internal detention”, so typical of communist totalitarianism, was enhanced by the Romanian authorities, serving to consolidate the regime at the same time.