Beogradski univerzitet 1944-1952

The study deals with the history of the University of Belgrade at the final stages of the Second World War and in the course of the communist takeover. It gives an account of the institutional and substantive changes occurring from 1944 to 1952, including the new policy of student enrollment, cleansing of the professorial corps, and the introduction of the First Five Year plan at the University. The complex relations between the State, the Communist Party and the University are examined, particularly the impact these had on the process of teaching and the ways curricula were developed. Within the University, the study provides an in depth presentation of both the professors and the students in the immediate postwar years, assessing the conditions under which they were working, and thereby contributing to the understanding of the overall position of the University within society. The complexity of the changes the University experienced at this time is understood through the clashing opposition between this inherently traditional institution and the equally inherently revolutionary communist movement.