Published under the auspices of the Yugoslav Lexicographical Institute in Zagreb and overseen by Miroslav Krleža, it is a prominent source and comprehensive reference work about Yugoslavia and related topics.

The second edition, initiated in 1980, encountered obstacles due to the Yugoslav Wars, resulting in only six of the planned twelve volumes being published.

[4] The exhibition was organized as a part of efforts at cultural opening towards Western Europe following the 1948 Tito–Stalin split and presenting heritage of the "golden age" in the history of the Yugoslav peoples.

[1] The encyclopaedia aimed to strike a balance between Yugoslav regional particularisms and broader common interests and scientific truths.

[4] President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito praised the work of the Institute and Miroslav Krleža during his visit to Zagreb at the time of completion of the first edition of encyclopaedia.

[4] First issues of the second edition were published in months following death and state funeral of Josip Broz Tito and caused controversy and criticism in Belgrade newspapers for the alleged mistaken way it addressed Albanian-Yugoslav relations.

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) particularly targeted the publication, claiming it favoured Croatian interests.

The main Serbo-Croatian Latin alphabet edition has been translated into 5 additional language-alphabet combinations:[11] The Macedonian and Albanian variants were the first encyclopedias published in the respective languages.