Editing Josip Broz Tito (section)

==World War II==
{{See also|World War II in Yugoslavia}}

===Resistance in Yugoslavia===
[[File:Tito predaje zastavu Prvoj proleterskoj brigadi.jpg|thumb|250px|Tito inspects the [[1st Proletarian Brigade (Yugoslav Partisans)|1st Proletarian Brigade]]. Next to him are: [[Ivan Ribar]], [[Koča Popović]], [[Filip Kljajić (Yugoslav Partisan)|Filip Kljajić]] and [[Ivo Lola Ribar]]]]

On 6 April 1941, [[Axis powers|Axis]] forces [[invasion of Yugoslavia|invaded Yugoslavia]]. On 10 April 1941, [[Slavko Kvaternik]] proclaimed the [[Independent State of Croatia]], and Tito responded by forming a Military Committee within the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY).{{sfn|Tomasevich|2001|p=52}} Attacked from all sides, the [[Royal Yugoslav Army|armed forces of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] quickly crumbled. On 17 April 1941, after [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter II]] and other members of the government [[Yugoslav government-in-exile|fled the country]], the remaining representatives of the government and military met with German officials in [[Belgrade]]. They quickly agreed to end military resistance. Prominent communist leaders, including Tito, held the [[May consultations]] to discuss the course of action to take in the face of the invasion. On 1 May 1941, Tito issued a pamphlet calling on the people to unite in a battle against the occupation.{{sfn|Kocon|Jeličić|Škunca|1988|p=84}} On 27 June 1941, the Central Committee appointed Tito [[commander-in-chief]] of all national liberation military forces. On 1 July 1941, the Comintern sent precise instructions calling for immediate action.{{sfn|Roberts|1987|p=24}}

[[File:Tito and Ivan Ribar in 1943.jpg|thumb|left|Tito and [[Ivan Ribar]] at [[Sutjeska National Park|Sutjeska]] in 1943]]
Tito stayed in Belgrade until 16 September 1941, when he, together with all members of the CPY, left Belgrade to travel to rebel-controlled territory. To leave Belgrade Tito used documents given to him by Dragoljub Milutinović, who was a ''[[voivode]]'' with the [[collaborationism|collaborationist]] [[Pećanac Chetniks]].{{sfn|Nikolić|2003|pp=29}} Since Pećanac was already fully co-operating with Germans by that time, this fact caused some to speculate{{who|date=October 2019}} that Tito left Belgrade with the blessing of the Germans because his task was to divide rebel forces, similar to Lenin's arrival in Russia.{{sfn|Nikolić|2003|pp=30}} Tito travelled by train through [[Stalać]] and [[Čačak]] and arrived to the village of [[Robaje]] on 18 September 1941.{{sfn|Nikolić|2003|pp=29}}

Despite conflicts with the rival monarchic [[Chetnik movement]], Tito's [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]] succeeded in liberating territory, notably the "[[Republic of Užice]]". During this period, Tito held talks with Chetnik leader [[Draža Mihailović]] on 19 September and 27 October 1941.<ref>{{cite book|title=Shadows on the Mountain: The Allies, the Resistance, and the Rivalries That Doomed WWII Yugoslavia|last=Kurapovna|first=Marcia|year=2009|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|isbn=978-0-470-08456-4|page=87}}</ref> It is said that Tito ordered his forces to assist escaping Jews, and that more than 2,000 Jews fought directly for Tito.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/staticpages/231.html|title=1941: Mass Murder|publisher=The Holocaust Chronicle|access-date=10 June 2011}}</ref>

On 21 December 1941, the Partisans created the First Proletarian Brigade (commanded by [[Koča Popović]]) and on 1 March 1942, Tito created the Second Proletarian Brigade.{{sfn|Ramet|2006|pp=152–153}} In liberated territories, the Partisans organised People's Committees to act as a civilian government. The [[Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia]] (AVNOJ) convened in [[Bihać Republic|Bihać]] on 26–27 November 1942 and in [[Jajce]] on 29 November 1943.<ref name="Hall">{{cite book |first=Richard C. |last=Hall |title=War in the Balkans: An Encyclopedic History from the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Breakup of Yugoslavia |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2014 |pages=36, 350 |isbn=978-1610690317}}</ref> In the two sessions, the resistance representatives established the basis for the post-war organisation of the country, deciding on a federation of the Yugoslav nations. In [[Jajce]], a 67-member "presidency" was elected and established a nine-member [[National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia|National Committee of Liberation]] (NKOJ; five communist members) as a de facto [[Provisional Government of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia|provisional government]].{{sfn|Ramet|2006|pp=157}} Tito was named President of NKOJ.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791223,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930122013/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791223,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 September 2007|title=Rebirth in Bosnia|work=Time Magazine|date=19 December 1943|access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Marshal Tito during the Second World War in Yugoslavia, May 1944.jpg|thumb|Tito and the [[Supreme Headquarters (Yugoslav Partisans)|Partisan Supreme Command]], 14 May 1944]]

With the growing possibility of an Allied invasion in the [[Balkans]], the [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] began to divert more resources to the destruction of the Partisans main force and its high command.{{sfn|Tomasevich|2001|pp=104}} This meant, among other things, a concerted German effort to capture Josip Broz Tito personally. On 25 May 1944, he managed to evade the Germans after the [[Raid on Drvar]] (''Operation Rösselsprung''), an [[airborne assault]] outside his [[Drvar]] headquarters in [[Bosnia (region)|Bosnia]].{{sfn|Tomasevich|2001|pp=104}}

After the Partisans managed to endure and avoid these intense [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] attacks between January and June 1943, and the extent of [[Chetnik]] collaboration became evident, Allied leaders switched their support from [[Draža Mihailović]] to Tito. [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter II]], American President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] joined Soviet Premier [[Joseph Stalin]] in officially recognising Tito and the Partisans at the [[Tehran Conference]].{{sfn|Tomasevich|Vucinich|1969|p=121}} This resulted in Allied aid being parachuted behind Axis lines to assist the Partisans. On 17 June 1944 on the [[Dalmatia]]n island of [[Vis (island)|Vis]], the [[Treaty of Vis]] ({{lang|sh|Viški sporazum}}) was signed in an attempt to merge Tito's government (the [[AVNOJ]]) with the government in exile of King Peter II.{{sfn|Banac|1988|pp=44}} The [[Balkan Air Force]] was formed in June 1944 to control operations that were mainly aimed at aiding his forces.{{sfn|Roberts|1987|pp=229}}

[[File:Tito-Churchill.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|Tito and British prime minister [[Winston Churchill]] in 1944 in [[Naples]], Italy]]

On 12 August 1944, Winston Churchill met Tito in [[Naples]] for a deal.{{sfn|Petrović|2014|pp=579}} On 12 September 1944, [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter II]] called on all Yugoslavs to come together under Tito's leadership and stated that those who did not were "traitors",{{sfn|Ramet|2006|pp=158}} by which time Tito was recognised by all Allied authorities (including the government-in-exile) as the [[Prime Minister of Yugoslavia]], in addition to the commander-in-chief of the Yugoslav forces. On 28 September 1944, the [[Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union]] (TASS) reported that Tito signed an agreement with the [[Soviet Union]] allowing "temporary entry" of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory, which allowed the [[Red Army]] to assist in operations in the northeastern areas of Yugoslavia.{{sfn|Tomasevich|Vucinich|1969|p=157}} With their strategic right flank secured by the Allied advance, the Partisans prepared and executed a massive general offensive that succeeded in breaking through German lines and forcing a retreat beyond Yugoslav borders. After the Partisan victory and the end of hostilities in Europe, all external forces were ordered off Yugoslav territory.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

In the autumn of 1944, the communist leadership adopted a political decision on the [[Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–50)#Yugoslavia|expulsion of ethnic Germans from Yugoslavia]]. On 21 November, a special decree was issued on the confiscation and nationalisation of ethnic German property. To implement the decision, 70 camps were established in Yugoslav territory.{{sfn|Mikola|2008|p=147}} In the final days of World War II in Yugoslavia, units of the Partisans were responsible for atrocities during [[Bleiburg repatriations]], and accusations of culpability were later raised at the Yugoslav leadership under Tito. At the time, according to some scholars, Josip Broz Tito repeatedly issued calls for surrender to the retreating column, offering amnesty and attempting to avoid a disorderly surrender.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Dizdar |first=Zdravko |author-link=Zdravko Dizdar |title=An Addition to the Research of the Problem of Bleiburg and the Way of the Cross |type=original scientific article |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/27516 |pages=117–193}}</ref> On 14 May he dispatched a telegram to the supreme headquarters of the [[Slovene Partisans|Slovene Partisan Army]] prohibiting the execution of prisoners of war and commanding the transfer of the possible suspects to a military court.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramet |first1=Sabrina P. |author-link1=Sabrina P. Ramet |last2=Matić |first2=Davorka |title=Democratic Transition in Croatia: Value Transformation, Education, and Media |publisher=[[Texas A&M University Press]] |year=2007 |page=274 |isbn=978-1-58544-587-5}}</ref>

===Aftermath===
[[File:Event in Zagreb in honour of Tito.jpg|thumb|Celebration of liberation in [[Zagreb]] in 1945 dedicated to Tito, in presence of Orthodox dignitaries, the Catholic cardinal [[Aloysius Stepinac]], and the Soviet military ''attaché'']]

On 7 March 1945, the [[Provisional Government of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia|provisional government]] of the [[Democratic Federal Yugoslavia]] (DFY) was assembled in [[Belgrade]] by Josip Broz Tito, while the provisional name allowed for either a republic or monarchy. This government was headed by Tito as provisional Yugoslav Prime Minister and included representatives from the royalist government-in-exile, among others [[Ivan Šubašić]]. In accordance with the agreement between resistance leaders and the government-in-exile, post-war elections were held to determine the form of government. In November 1945, Tito's pro-republican [[People's Front of Yugoslavia|People's Front]], led by the [[Communist Party of Yugoslavia]], won the elections with an overwhelming majority, the vote having been boycotted by [[monarchist]]s.<ref>{{cite book|title=1998 Information Please Almanac|url=https://archive.org/details/1998informationpbru00brun|url-access=registration|last=Brunner|first=Borgna|year=1997|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-88276-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/1998informationpbru00brun/page/342 342]}}</ref> During the period, Tito evidently enjoyed massive popular support due to being generally viewed by the populace as the liberator of Yugoslavia.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations: S-Z|last=Nolan |first=Cathal|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-32383-6|page=1668}}</ref> The Yugoslav administration in the immediate post-war period managed to unite a country that had been severely affected by ultra-nationalist upheavals and war devastation, while successfully suppressing the nationalist sentiments of the various nations in favour of tolerance, and the common Yugoslav goal. After the overwhelming electoral victory, Tito was confirmed as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DFY. The country was soon renamed the [[Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia]] (FPRY) (later finally renamed into Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFRY). On 29 November 1945, King [[Peter II of Yugoslavia|Peter II]] was formally deposed by the Yugoslav Constituent Assembly. The Assembly drafted [[1946 Yugoslav Constitution|a new republican constitution]] soon afterwards.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Yugoslavia organised the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] ({{lang|sh|Jugoslavenska narodna armija}}, JNA) from the [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisan movement]] and became the fourth strongest army in Europe at the time, according to various estimates.<ref>{{cite book|last=Leffler|first=Melvyn P.|title=The Cambridge History of the Cold War|year=2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-83719-4|page=201}}</ref> The [[State Security Administration]] ({{lang|sh|Uprava državne bezbednosti}}, UDBA) was also formed as the new secret police, along with a [[security agency]], the [[OZNA|Department of People's Security]] ({{lang|sh|Organ Zaštite Naroda (Armije)}}, OZNA). Yugoslav intelligence was charged with imprisoning and bringing to trial large numbers of Nazi collaborators; controversially, this included Catholic clergymen due to the widespread [[involvement of Croatian Catholic clergy with the Ustaša regime]]. [[Draža Mihailović]] was found guilty of [[Collaborationism|collaboration]], [[high treason]] and war crimes and was subsequently executed by firing squad in July 1946.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito met with the president of the [[Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia]], [[Aloysius Stepinac]] on 4 June 1945, two days after his release from imprisonment. The two could not reach an agreement on the state of the Catholic Church. Under Stepinac's leadership, the bishops' conference released a letter condemning alleged Partisan war crimes in September 1945. The next year, Stepinac was arrested and put on [[Aloysius Stepinac#Trial|trial]], which some saw as a show trial.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sindbaek |first=Tia |date=2012 |title=Usable History: Representations of Difficult Pasts in Yugoslavia – 1945 and 2002 |publisher=Aarhus University Press |page=55 |isbn=978-8779345683}}<br />"The trial was also covered in numerous newspapers outside Yugoslavia, largely perceived as a classic communist show trial, and Stepinac as a martyred religious leader."</ref> In October 1946, in its first special session for 75 years, the Vatican [[excommunicated]] Tito and the Yugoslav government for sentencing Stepinac to 16 years in prison on charges of assisting [[Ustaše]] terror and of supporting forced conversions of Serbs to Catholicism.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855498,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160540/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855498,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 September 2007|title=Excommunicate's Interview|work=Time Magazine |date=21 October 1946|access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref> Stepinac received preferential treatment in recognition of his status<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,939610,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114084443/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,939610,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 January 2009|title=The Silent Voice|work=Time Magazine|date=22 February 1966|access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref> and the sentence was soon shortened and reduced to house arrest, with the option of emigration open to the archbishop. At the conclusion of the "[[Informbiro period]]", reforms rendered Yugoslavia considerably more religiously liberal than the [[Eastern Bloc]] states.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

In the first post-war years, Tito was widely considered a communist leader very loyal to Moscow; indeed, he was often viewed as second only to Stalin in the Eastern Bloc. In fact, Stalin and Tito had an uneasy alliance from the start, with Stalin considering Tito too independent.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Majstorović |first1=Vojin |title=The Rise and Fall of the Yugoslav-Soviet Alliance, 1945–1948 |url=https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/pi/index.php/pi/article/view/9274/7384 |journal=Past Imperfect |language=en |doi=10.21971/P7160P |date=8 October 2010|volume=16 |s2cid=153861530 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

From 1946 to 1948, Tito actively engaged in building an alliance with neighbouring communist [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania|Albania]], with the intent of incorporating Albania into Yugoslavia.<ref name="Dranqoli2011">{{cite journal |last1=Dranqoli |first1=Albina |title=History Studies Volume 3/2 2011 Tito's attempt to integrate Albania into Yugoslavia, 1945–1948 |journal=History Studies |date=2011 |volume=3 |url=https://www.acarindex.com/dosyalar/makale/acarindex-1423902522.pdf |access-date=1 March 2023}}</ref> According to [[Enver Hoxha]], the then communist ruler of Albania, in the summer of 1946 Tito promised Hoxha that the Yugoslav province of [[Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo|Kosovo]] would be ceded to Albania.{{sfn|Banac|1988|p=214}} Despite the decision of unification being agreed upon by Yugoslav communists during the [[Bujan Conference]], the plan never materialised.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Judah |first1=Tim |title=The Serbs: History, Myth, and the Destruction of Yugoslavia |date=1997 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=UK |isbn=978-0-300-15826-7 |page=132}}</ref> In the first post-war years in Kosovo, Tito enacted the policy of banning the return of [[Yugoslav colonization of Kosovo|Serb colonists]] to Kosovo, in addition to enacting the first large-scale primary education program of the [[Albanian language]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sell |first1=Louise |title=Slobodan Milosevic and the Destruction of Yugoslavia |date=2002 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=North Carolina |isbn=978-0822332237 |page=75}}</ref>

During the immediate post-war period, Tito's Yugoslavia had a strong commitment to [[orthodox Marxist]] ideas. Harsh repressive measures against dissidents and "[[enemies of the state]]" were common from government agents,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nielsen|first=Christian Axboe|date=2021|title=Imprisoning "Enemies of the State" in a Communist Dictatorship: The Record of Tito's Yugoslavia, 1945–1953|url=https://doi.org/10.1162/jcws_a_01041|journal=Journal of Cold War Studies|volume=23|issue=4|pages=124–152|doi=10.1162/jcws_a_01041|s2cid=241566445|issn=1520-3972}}</ref> although not known to be under Tito's orders, including "arrests, show trials, forced collectivisation, suppression of churches and religion".{{sfn|Forsythe|2009|p=47}} As the leader of Yugoslavia, Tito displayed a fondness for luxury, taking over the royal palaces that had belonged to the [[House of Karađorđević]] together with the former palaces used by the [[House of Habsburg]] in Yugoslavia.{{sfn|West|1995|pp=196–197}} His tours across Yugoslavia in his luxury [[Tito's Blue Train|Blue Train]] closely resembled the royal tours of the Karađorđević kings and Habsburg emperors and in Serbia. He also adopted the traditional royal custom of being a godfather to every 9th son, although he modified it to include daughters as well after criticism was made that the practice was sexist.{{sfn|West|1995|p=197}} Just like a Serbian king, Tito would appear wherever a 9th child was born to a family to congratulate the parents and give them cash.{{sfn|West|1995|p=197}} Tito always spoke very harshly of the Karađorđević kings in both public and private (through in private, he sometimes had a kind word for the Habsburgs), but in many ways, he appeared to his people as sort of a king.{{sfn|West|1995|p=197}}