Josip Broz, who went down in history under the party pseudonym Tito, is one of the powerful and mysterious personalities of the 20th century. For many years, the Tito regime was not held by force of arms, but by its own authority. He was able to provide his country with enormous influence and a high international position and, according to US President Nixon, was perceived on a par with the legendary leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.
Childhood and youth
Josip Broz was born on May 25, 1892 in the village of Kumrovets in Croatia. He was the seventh child in the family of the Croatian Franjo and Slovenia Maria Broz.
Young Josip entered elementary school in Kumrovets in 1900, which he graduates in 1905. Two years later, he moved to Sisak, where he got a job as a train apprentice in a railway depot.
At the same time, he joined the Social Democratic Party of Croatia and Slovenia. In subsequent years, he worked as a foreman in factories in Kamnik, Chenkov, Munich, Mannheim and Austria.
In 1913 he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army. After completing non-commissioned officer courses, he goes to the Serbian front with the rank of sergeant in 1914.
His courage and courage helped him quickly become a sergeant major. In 1915 he was transferred to the Russian front, where after some time he was wounded and captured.
After treatment at the hospital, he was sent to a prisoner of war camp. However, he was lucky, and he was free in 1917 when revolutionary workers burst into prison.
He actively participated in Bolshevik propaganda and the July demonstrations in Petrograd. He was again arrested, but was soon released and left for Omsk, where he enters the Red Army in 1980.
In 1920, he returned to his native Croatia, which became part of the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Career
Returning to Yugoslavia, he joined the Communist Party, which won the 1920 election, gaining 59 seats. However, the ban and dispersal of the Communist Party forced him to move from the capital.
In the following years, he held various positions and was eventually appointed secretary of the Croatian metallurgical industry in Zagreb. At the same time, he continued to work in the communist underground.
In 1928, he finally became Secretary of the Zagreb branch of the CPY. Under this leadership, anti-government street demonstrations and strikes took place under his leadership.
Alas, he was soon arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. It was in prison that he met Moses Pidzhade, who became his ideological teacher. At this time, he took the party pseudonym Tito. After his release, he moved to Vienna and became a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party.
During the year from 1935 to 1936, he worked as a confidant of the Secretary General of the CPY Milan Gorkich in the Soviet Union.
The death of Gorkich in 1937 led to his appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He officially took office in 1939 and organized an underground congress in 1940, in which 7, 000 participants took part.
During the German invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, the CPY was the only organized and functional political force. Having made most of the opportunities, he called on the people to unite in the fight against occupation.
He founded the military committee as part of the Communist Party and was appointed commander in chief.
After the Tehran Conference, at which he was recognized as the sole leader of the Yugoslav resistance, Tito signed an agreement that led to the merger of his government with the government of King Peter II. A little later, Tito was appointed interim prime minister of Yugoslavia. But this appointment did not prevent him from remaining in the post of commander in chief of the resistance forces.
In October 1944, the Soviet army with the support of partisans Tito liberated Serbia. By 1945, the Communist Party became the main political force in Yugoslavia.
Having received massive popular support, he earned the title of "liberator of Yugoslavia." He won a landslide election, and took office as prime minister and foreign minister.
His role in the liberation of Yugoslavia led him to believe that the country could follow its own course, unlike other countries of the bloc, which should recognize the CPSU as their leading force.
Consolidating his powers, he wrote and adopted the new constitution of Yugoslavia in November 1945. He conducted trials of all collaborators and oppositionists. Then he goes on a diplomatic rapprochement with Albania and Greece, which provoked sharp criticism of Stalin.
The growth of the personality cult annoyed Stalin so much that he made several attempts to remove the latter from the leadership of Yugoslavia, but without much success. The split between the two leaders led to the fact that Yugoslavia was cut off from the Soviet Union and its allies, but quickly established diplomatic and commercial ties with the capitalist countries.
After the death of Stalin, he faced a dilemma: either to continue building relations with Western countries or to find common ground with the new leadership of the CPSU Central Committee. However, Tito was able to surprise the whole world by choosing the third path, which was to establish ties with leaders of developing countries.
He made Yugoslavia one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement and established strong ties with third world countries. He was appointed the first Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement. The first congress of this organization took place in Belgrade in 1961.
In 1963, he officially changed the name of the country to the socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He carried out various reforms in the country, giving people freedom of speech and religious expression.
In 1967, he opened the borders of his country by canceling entry visas. He took an active part in promoting a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In 1971, he was re-elected President of Yugoslavia. After his appointment, he introduced a number of constitutional amendments that decentralized the country, giving autonomy to the republics.
While the republics controlled education, health, and housing, the federal center was responsible for foreign affairs, defense, internal security, foreign exchange issues, free trade in the framework of Yugoslavia, and development loans to poorer regions.
In 1974, a new Constitution was adopted, which made him President for life.
Personal life
He was married three times, first to Pelageya Broz, then to Hert Haas, and finally to Jovanka Broz. He had four children: Zlatitsa Broz, Hinko Broz, Zharko Leon Broz and Aleksandar Broz.
