Jože Pirjevec

This book explores the military events and diplomatic games in the later years of the Second World War through which Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslav Partisans resistance movement gained the support of the Allies and, eventually, control over Yugoslavia itself. Based on research by the author in Yugoslav, German, British, American, Italian, and Russian archives and libraries, including the unpublished war memoirs of Josip Broz Tito, the volume follows Winston Churchill’s 1943 strategic decision to shift Allied support from Draža Mihailovic's Chetniks, who sought the restoration of Peter II to the Yugoslav throne, to Tito and his Communist Party. Tito and Churchill continued to face conflict over concessions regarding the monarchy, as well as the growing influence of Joseph Stalin, who began sending the Partisans large arms supplies. Pirjevec’s narrative of these tensions sheds new light on the dynamics of the wartime events leading to the start of the Cold War and the emergence of new nationalist movements in the region in the second half of the 20th century. The book celebrates Tito and his Partisans for their fight against Nazi-fascism without, however, ignoring their atrocities. This volume will appeal to readers interested in the lesser-known chapters of the Second World War and the history of Yugoslavia.

Josip Broz (1892–1980), nicknamed Tito, led Yugoslavia for nearly four decades with charisma, cunning, and an iron fist. A leader of the non-aligned nations, he and his Partisans fought Hitler during World War II and resisted the Soviet Union's postwar grasp, and he long enjoyed a reputation in the West as "the only good Communist" despite a dubious human rights record at home. Jože Pirjevec employs impressive research from archives in eight languages to offer this illuminating portrait of one of the most powerful figures of the Cold War era. This edition includes a foreword by Emily Greble that reveals the life and legacy of a complex man in turbulent times.

This book explores the rise of two resistance movements in Yugoslavia after its invasion and partition by Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria in April 1941: one led by Draža Mihailovic's Chetniks, supporters of the Serb monarchy; and the Partisans, led by Josip Broz Tito and his Communist Party.Based on research by the author in Yugoslav, German, British, American, Italian, and Russian archives and libraries, including the unpublished war memoirs of Josip Broz Tito, the book traces the causes of the April War, the ensuing uprising in Western Serbia against the occupiers, and its aftermath. Tensions were inevitable between the Chetniks, who sought the restoration of the old regime, and the Partisans, who wanted not only the liberation of the country but also social revolution. Pirjevec situates the Partisan struggle within the framework of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean, dominated by the Axis powers and the Anglo-American and Soviet Allies, who would all take strategic interest in the struggle by 1943 as a link between the Eastern and the Western Fronts, and for longer-term control of the Balkans.This volume will appeal to readers interested in the lesser-known chapters of the Second World War and the history of Yugoslavia.

This book explores the military events and diplomatic games in the later years of the Second World War through which Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslav Partisans resistance movement gained the support of the Allies and, eventually, control over Yugoslavia itself.Based on research by the author in Yugoslav, German, British, American, Italian, and Russian archives and libraries, including the unpublished war memoirs of Josip Broz Tito, the volume follows Winston Churchill’s 1943 strategic decision to shift Allied support from Draža Mihailovic's Chetniks, who sought the restoration of Peter II to the Yugoslav throne, to Tito and his Communist Party. Tito and Churchill continued to face conflict over concessions regarding the monarchy, as well as the growing influence of Joseph Stalin, who began sending the Partisans large arms supplies. Pirjevec’s narrative of these tensions sheds new light on the dynamics of the wartime events leading to the start of the Cold War and the emergence of new nationalist movements in the region in the second half of the 20th century. The book celebrates Tito and his Partisans for their fight against Nazi-fascism without, however, ignoring their atrocities.This volume will appeal to readers interested in the lesser-known chapters of the Second World War and the history of Yugoslavia.

This landmark biography reveals the life of one of the most powerful figures of the Cold War era. Josip Broz (1892–1980), nicknamed Tito, led Yugoslavia for nearly four decades with charisma, cunning, and an iron fist.With his Partisans he fought Hitler during World War II, and after the war he shrewdly resisted the Soviet Union's grasp. A leader of the non-aligned nations, he long enjoyed a reputation in the West as ""the only good Communist"" despite a dubious human rights record at home. Jože Pirjevec employs impressive research from archives in eight languages to offer this illuminating, definitive portrait of a complex man in turbulent times.Pirjevec recounts how Tito, with little schooling but an astute intellect and driving ambition, rose through Communist Party ranks to shape and rule the Yugoslav federation. Surviving multiple assassination attempts by Nazis, Soviet spies, and others, Tito boldly threatened Stalin in return and may have, Pirjevec reveals, contrived Stalin's death. The narrative follows Tito's personal and political life into old age, as the specter of a Soviet invasion haunted him until his death at age eighty-seven. Available in English for the first time, this edition includes new material from Pirjevec and a foreword by Emily Greble.