Abstract
By comparing the consequences of post-war events on the communist world of the Julian March and South Tyrol, the essay illustrates the different perspectives of the communist parties involved in the cross-country region between Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia. At the heart of the analysis is the PCI’s strategy towards the two border regions. The Italian party sought to establish and legitimize itself as a political force in two regional scenarios. In the Julian March and Trieste, the obstacles presented to the PCI were manifold. This was due to the very dynamic foreign policy of the Government in Belgrade and its longa manus in the region, the Slovene CP, which intended to incorporate the entire Julian March into Socialist Yugoslavia. The situation in South Tyrol was very different: here, the PCI first chose a policy of strength, especially towards the initial antagonism of the Austrian CP.