The Economic Development of Goriška and Nova Gorica and Migratory Movements (1945–1969)

After World War II, the economic development of Goriška and Nova Gorica focused on strengthening industry in line with Yugoslavia’s general orientation toward accelerated industrialization. The first reconstruction period (1947–1956) saw growth on the foundations of modest prewar industry and crafts. Later, in 1957–1969, the emphasis was on overcoming the earlier development anomalies, on creating a more harmonious and diversified development, in which the previously neglected economic sectors (agriculture, construction, transport, trade, crafts, tourism) took priority, and on more quickly developing the new industries that emerged after the war. As a result of severing ties with the Italian political and economic unit and acceding to Yugoslavia, the territory and economy of Goriška experienced significant migratory dynamics. This migration influenced and shaped the post-war development of Goriška’s economy and the newly founded Nova Gorica—the new administrative-political, economic, and cultural center of Goriška.
Keywords: Goriška, Nova Gorica, economic development, 1945−1969, migrations

After Goriška’s accession to Yugoslavia until the end of the 1960s, its economy developed depending on the country’s simultaneous social, economic, and political processes, yet with a delay and certain deviations.
In 1948, Goriška was among the least economically developed Slovenian regions—only four out of twelve were less industrialized. By 1975, it had moved up two places in this list. However, this development was not continuous. Although until 1952, industrial production in Goriška grew faster than total Slovenian production, in 1952–1956, it lagged. As in Slovenia, economic investments in Goriška accounted for the largest share of all investments during this latter period. However, in 1952–1960, the share of non-economic investments (mainly at the expense of building various types of infrastructure in the emerging Nova Gorica) exceeded that in Slovenia. As a result, in 1952–1956, the value of industrial production and the national income achieved were below the Slovenian average.
In 1947–1956, the emphasis was on eliminating economic backwardness and underdevelopment. The electricity network’s reconstruction, reorganization, and connection to the Slovenian network were significant. Overall, industry developed faster than agriculture: investments in mining, building materials, and timber industries were priorities; the textile and leather industries were newly developed; and the metal, food, and wood industries progressed. Industrial production exceeded the prewar level in the first years after accession, while agricultural production did not reach this level until 1956.
In 1957–1969, in addition to industry (emphasizing the development of wood, textile, metal, and food manufacturing), agriculture, construction, trade, transport, crafts, hospitality, and tourism gained importance among the economic sectors. In addition, activities of general importance developed more than in the past: housing and communal services, health care, education, and culture. The population’s standard of living gradually began to rise, and the newly formed Nova Gorica became a functional city.
At least until the end of the 1950s, strong migration processes characterized Goriška; they impacted economic processes, thus further impacting migration. The substantial emigration of the population, especially of the Italian population, even before the conclusion of the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947, had lasting negative effects on the development of Goriška’s post-war economy. The emigration of entrepreneurs, landowners, and educated people of Italian nationality left the economy without educated and skilled workers. Among the post-war migration flows, migration from the countryside to the cities, especially to the emerging Nova Gorica, was, on the one hand, closely related to the transition from the agricultural to the industrial sector. On the other hand, migration from Goriška (especially to the Koper district) was related mainly to the weak economic power of Goriška and the sluggish housing construction in Nova Gorica.