Agrarian Reform and Colonization

Agrarian reform was the burning question in Kosovo and Macedonia between the two world wars. The majority of the population was peasants and they were expecting an agrarian reform to get rid of the remnants of the çiftlik system and of the wealthy landlords. The reform was declared right after the First World War, however, it was never really applied to Kosovo and Macedonia until the beginning of the 1930s. Moreover, the reform was used in these lands as a political means for Slavicisation. This historical episode was called as colonization and was the subject of several studies. The most systematical research on this topic was done by Milovan Obradović. His PhD thesis was published in 1981 as Agrarna Reforma i Kolonizacija na Kosovu (1918 - 1941) (Agrarian Reform and Colonization of Kosovo (1918 - 1941)). Some of his texts were also translated into Albanian, such as the one we include here on CPY's position towards the agrarian reform between the two world wars: 'Qëndrimi i PKJ-së ndaj Qështjes Agrare në Kosovë (1918 - 1941)', Përparimi, 1979, no: 2, Prishtinë, p. 286-301.