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Tito
THE STORY, TOLD LARGELY BY HIMSELF, OF MARSHAL TITO OF YUGOSLAVIA—THE MAN WHOM STALIN MOST HATES AND FEARS
THE FIRST BIG HOLE in the iron curtain was cut in 1948 by Marshal Tito and the Yugoslavian people when they walked out of the Cominform, defying Stalin, the Red Army, and Moscow’s secret police. This was the first rebellion of a Soviet satellite state. It is not likely to be the last.
Here is the only authentic inside story of this decisive moment in modern history, told in the context of Tito’s life, with about forty per cent of the text in Tito’s own words, recorded by one of his closest friends. Here is the story of Tito’s personal relations with Stalin, how the leaders of the Communist world would drink and talk and joke with each other, how Stalin felt about the Communists in Greece and China, the true stories of Dimitrov, Gomulka, Anna Pauker and the fierce struggle for power which goes on among the rulers of the Communist world. No other man has seen this world on the top level and survived to tell it.
It is told here in the exciting story of the life of an itinerant machinist who wandered around Europe, Russia and the revolutionary movement until Hitler’s attack on his country in 1941 threw him into leadership of the Yugoslav Partisan Army.
THE FIRST BIG HOLE in the iron curtain was cut in 1948 by Marshal Tito and the Yugoslavian people when they walked out of the Cominform, defying Stalin, the Red Army, and Moscow’s secret police. This was the first rebellion of a Soviet satellite state. It is not likely to be the last.
Here is the only authentic inside story of this decisive moment in modern history, told in the context of Tito’s life, with about forty per cent of the text in Tito’s own words, recorded by one of his closest friends. Here is the story of Tito’s personal relations with Stalin, how the leaders of the Communist world would drink and talk and joke with each other, how Stalin felt about the Communists in Greece and China, the true stories of Dimitrov, Gomulka, Anna Pauker and the fierce struggle for power which goes on among the rulers of the Communist world. No other man has seen this world on the top level and survived to tell it.
It is told here in the exciting story of the life of an itinerant machinist who wandered around Europe, Russia and the revolutionary movement until Hitler’s attack on his country in 1941 threw him into leadership of the Yugoslav Partisan Army.
627 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2018
About the author
Vladimir Dedijer
54 books8 followersVladimir Dedijer was born on February 4. 1914. in Belgrade, where he spent his childhood and youth. He finished elementary school, high school and journalism, and was actively involved in the workers movement. He edited several newspapers in the country.
Although not a member of any Communist Party or Communist Youth League, Dedijer worked in favor of communist propaganda. He knew the director of "Politika", Vladislav Ribnikar with whom he met Tito's arrival in Belgrade in 1941.
At the time of the rebellion he had to organize the political and propaganda work, to teach communists and work at the "Struggle" as an editor, along with Milovan Djilas. There, their great friendship started.
Vladimir Dedijer was appointed political commissar of the Kragujevac NOP Detachment. Participated in the siege of Kraljevo, in mid-October 1941, when he was wounded in the leg.
After that, he went to the Supreme Headquarters and works in agitation and propaganda department of the war.
After the war, he left to witness the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco. Upon his return, as a very educated man, he gets a place of history teaching NOB at Belgrade University. During the war, he carefully writes his diary, which he publishes after the war.
He was a representative of the Yugoslav delegation at the peace conference in Paris 1946. Upon his return, becomes the editor-in-chief of the "Struggle".
During the conflict with Stalin, he was a member of various negotiating missions. There he began to collect data for his famous work, by which he would later become known - "Contributions to the biography of Josip Broz Tito."
He was a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee since 1952, the Socialist Alliance and the federal committee since 1953. As editor of "Struggle", was accused of arranging Đilas's articles, and was brought before a party committee, then before the court in Belgrade in 1954. He was sentenced to a year and a half (suspended). Later, the court overturned that decision.
Dedijer then decided to retire from political life. He resigned his membership in the Communist Party and Socialist Alliance in August 1954.
After his political career, he began to engage in writing. He went to the U.S. the 1955 where he won the title of professor of historical sciences. Occasionally he came from America to the country in which the research for his book was to be done.
Vladimir Dedijer became a member of the Russell Tribunal, and then the president of the same court that investigated war crimes in Vietnam, human rights violations in Latin America and many others.
He actively worked in the Serbian Academy of Sciences in Belgrade. He was one of the coauthors of the textbook "History of Yugoslavia since 1918", published by the Belgrade "Nolit" in 1972.
After Tito's death, he went back to America, to Washington, where he collected materials for a biography of Tito.
In America, he worked on preparing the Russell Tribunal Court of the Jasenovac concentration camp. To this end, he returned again to Yugoslavia in 1989. and in conjunction with senior research associate Antun Miletic worked on writing a book about Jasenovac.
Towards the end of his life he turned blind, and wanted to come back and die in his country, but died suddenly of a severe heart attack on the 30th of November 1990. in Boston, where he was cremated. His urn was, with all military honors, placed besides his two tragically departed sons in Ljubljana.
As a merit in working together, Antun Miletic (after Dedijer's death) published the book "Against oblivion and taboo - Jasenovac (1941-1945), where in addition to his name, entered the name Vladimir Dedijer.
Although not a member of any Communist Party or Communist Youth League, Dedijer worked in favor of communist propaganda. He knew the director of "Politika", Vladislav Ribnikar with whom he met Tito's arrival in Belgrade in 1941.
At the time of the rebellion he had to organize the political and propaganda work, to teach communists and work at the "Struggle" as an editor, along with Milovan Djilas. There, their great friendship started.
Vladimir Dedijer was appointed political commissar of the Kragujevac NOP Detachment. Participated in the siege of Kraljevo, in mid-October 1941, when he was wounded in the leg.
After that, he went to the Supreme Headquarters and works in agitation and propaganda department of the war.
After the war, he left to witness the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco. Upon his return, as a very educated man, he gets a place of history teaching NOB at Belgrade University. During the war, he carefully writes his diary, which he publishes after the war.
He was a representative of the Yugoslav delegation at the peace conference in Paris 1946. Upon his return, becomes the editor-in-chief of the "Struggle".
During the conflict with Stalin, he was a member of various negotiating missions. There he began to collect data for his famous work, by which he would later become known - "Contributions to the biography of Josip Broz Tito."
He was a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee since 1952, the Socialist Alliance and the federal committee since 1953. As editor of "Struggle", was accused of arranging Đilas's articles, and was brought before a party committee, then before the court in Belgrade in 1954. He was sentenced to a year and a half (suspended). Later, the court overturned that decision.
Dedijer then decided to retire from political life. He resigned his membership in the Communist Party and Socialist Alliance in August 1954.
After his political career, he began to engage in writing. He went to the U.S. the 1955 where he won the title of professor of historical sciences. Occasionally he came from America to the country in which the research for his book was to be done.
Vladimir Dedijer became a member of the Russell Tribunal, and then the president of the same court that investigated war crimes in Vietnam, human rights violations in Latin America and many others.
He actively worked in the Serbian Academy of Sciences in Belgrade. He was one of the coauthors of the textbook "History of Yugoslavia since 1918", published by the Belgrade "Nolit" in 1972.
After Tito's death, he went back to America, to Washington, where he collected materials for a biography of Tito.
In America, he worked on preparing the Russell Tribunal Court of the Jasenovac concentration camp. To this end, he returned again to Yugoslavia in 1989. and in conjunction with senior research associate Antun Miletic worked on writing a book about Jasenovac.
Towards the end of his life he turned blind, and wanted to come back and die in his country, but died suddenly of a severe heart attack on the 30th of November 1990. in Boston, where he was cremated. His urn was, with all military honors, placed besides his two tragically departed sons in Ljubljana.
As a merit in working together, Antun Miletic (after Dedijer's death) published the book "Against oblivion and taboo - Jasenovac (1941-1945), where in addition to his name, entered the name Vladimir Dedijer.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 22, 2025
This is a weird book. Nominally a biography of Tito, it only follows him specifically until WW2, at which point the author switches to giving an overall view of the Yugoslavian war effort, and its revolt against its king. Tito takes a back seat here, and his specific actions during this period are not really addressed. Following that period, the author spends something like 150 pages explaining the reasons for the Tito/Stalin split, but in a really didactic way. Since the author cites zero sources during ANY of the book, and since I caught him misrepresenting certain things, and in one case (a quote attributed to Himmler), seemingly inventing things, I didn't have any faith that the details of the Tito/Stalin split were portrayed accurately. In the last 20 pages, it goes back to Tito and mentions casually a number of details of his personal wife ("oh yeah, he was married 3 times and likes chess") but this smacks of light propaganda, trying to portray him as a normal, but also amazing, man. It's a hagiography, basically, and a propaganda piece. I don't feel as if I actually learned anything I can trust.
Still earns at least one star because the writer is at least competent at putting words and sentences together.
Still earns at least one star because the writer is at least competent at putting words and sentences together.
Displaying 1 of 1 review