Tito’s Challenge to Stalin

Kingdom of Yugoslavia• Formed on

December 1, 1918• Karadjordjevic

Dynasty• Kingdom of Serbs,

Croats & Slovenes, renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929

http://www.answers.com/topic/alexander-i-of-yugoslavia http://en,wikipedia.org

Josip Broz - Tito• Born May 7, 1892 in

Croatia• Fought for Austria-

Hungary in the First World War

• Joined the CPY in 1920

• Arrested and jailed in 1928

Source: http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/t/i.htm

Josip Broz - Tito• Secretary-General of

Communist Party in Yugoslavia

• Leader of the Partizan rebellion group

• Marshal, Premier, and President of SFRY

• First communist leader to defy Soviet domination

• Promoter of the nonalignment movement

http://web.ku.edu/~eceurope/hist557/lect16.htm

http://www.marxists.org/archive/tito/index.htm

Opposing Stalin• Dispute over

the “Balkan Federation”

• Economic exploitation

• Refusal to pull out of Greek Civil War

http://www.henkels.com/corporate/timeline/hm1948Home.asp

“The cause of the conflict is the aggressive tendencies of the Soviet

Union towards Yugoslavia” – Josip Broz - Tito

Stalin’s Response• Recall of Soviets

from Belgrade• Passing news of

conflict to Cominform

• Letter sent to Yugoslav leaders

• Preparation of armed conflict

“I will shake my little finger and there will be no more

Tito” – Josef Stalin

http://www.channel4.com/more4/documentaries/R/russia/gallery/gallery2/page3.html

Excommunication• Cominform

requested that Yugoslavia accept comradely criticism

• Tito did not attend the second meeting of the Cominform

• Yugoslavia was excommunicated by the USSR

http://www.turnerlearning.com/cnn/coldwar/marshall/mpln_dis.html

Tito Denies Stalin - VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZnD45Y9W8Y

Aftermath• West offered

aid and military assistance

• Reconciliation with the USSR

• Policy of Nonalignment

http://en.wikipedia.org

Legacy• Separated

Yugoslavia from Soviet puppetry and brought economic reform and prosperity

• Established brotherhood and unity

• Gained the respect of global leaders

“We study and take as an example the Soviet system,

but we are developing socialism in our country in

somewhat different forms.” – Josip Broz - Tito

http://www.biocrawler.com/encyclopedia/Tito