Tito, Josip Broz, << TEE toh, YOH seep brohz >> (1892-1980), established a Communist government in Yugoslavia after World War II and then became the country’s ruler. He led Yugoslavia in its separation from control by the Soviet Union. His actions set an example that China and some Eastern European Communist nations later followed. Tito was the first Communist leader to permit his people some economic and social freedom.
Early life.
Tito was born Josip Broz, the son of a peasant family, in Kumrovec, Croatia, on May 7, 1892. At that time, Croatia was part of Austria-Hungary. Broz became a metalworker. He was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1913. In 1915, during World War I, he was wounded and captured by Russian troops. In 1917, the Communists released him from prison after they had taken power in Russia. Broz joined the Communist Party.
In 1920, Broz returned to his homeland, which had become part of the new Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia) after World War I ended in 1918. He helped organize the Yugoslav Communist Party. But it was outlawed, and Broz was sent to jail in 1928. He used the name Tito to confuse the police after his release in 1934. He later added Tito to his real name. He was secretary-general to the Yugoslav Communist Party from 1937 until 1966, when he became party president.
During World War II (1939-1945), Tito organized and led the Partisans, guerrillas who fought Germans occupying Yugoslavia. Another resistance group, the anti-Communist Chetniks, fought the Partisans, but lost. After the war, Tito had Chetnik leader Draza Mihajlovic executed.
Yugoslav leader.
Tito set up a Communist government in Yugoslavia in 1945, and it was recognized by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Tito became prime minister and defense minister. But Soviet efforts to control Yugoslavia led to a split between Tito and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Stalin expelled Yugoslavia from the Soviet bloc in 1948. Tito became the first independent Communist leader. Later, he became a spokesman for nations that refused to take sides in the Cold War.
But Tito kept tight control over the Yugoslav people and tolerated no opposition. In 1963, Tito made himself president for life. Later, Tito limited the power of the secret police and encouraged some economic and political freedom. In 1968, Tito supported Czechoslovakia’s liberalization program, and he criticized the Soviet Union for sending troops into the country to stop the reforms. In 1971, he became head of a presidential council formed to rule Yugoslavia. As chairman, Tito retained much of his power until his death on May 4, 1980.
