1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello, I'm Eves and welcome to the Stay 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: in History Class, a podcast that flips through the book 4 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: of history and tears out a single page. Today is 5 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: April seven. The day was April seventh, nineteen sixty three. 6 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: The Yugoslav Parliament approved a new constitution and Tito was 7 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: proclaimed president for life of the newly renamed Socialist Federal 8 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: Republic of Yugoslavia. Tito was born Yosip Bros in Croatia. 9 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: He took the name Tito later in life. During World 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: War One, he served in the Austro Hungarian Army and 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: he was in a prisoner of war camp for a 12 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: while after being captured by the Russians. He later joined 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: the Bolshevik Red Guards during the Russian Civil War. The 14 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed in nineteen eighteen. 15 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,479 Speaker 1: It included Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and most of Croatian 16 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: and Slovenia. In nineteen twenty nine, it officially became known 17 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In nineteen Tito returned to Croatia, 18 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: which was then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats 19 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: and Slovenes. He soon became involved with the Communist Party 20 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: of Yugoslavia. In nineteen twenty eight, while he was in Zagreb, 21 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: he was sentenced to five years in prison for communist activities. 22 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: He was released in March of nineteen thirty four. By 23 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty seven, he was appointed Secretary General of the 24 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Despite the fact that Soviet leader 25 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: Joseph Stalin had been purging members of the Communist Party 26 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: of Yugoslavia, Tito rebuilt the Communist Party of Yugoslavia during 27 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: World War Two. It became a powerful political and military 28 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: organization sation. In nineteen forty one, the Axis powers occupied 29 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: and partitioned Yugoslavia, Tito ordered the Communist Party to begin 30 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: guerrilla activity against Axis forces. The resistance that he organized 31 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,839 Speaker 1: was called the National Liberation Partisan Detachments, also known as 32 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: the Partisans, but civil war soon broke out between the Partisans, 33 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,079 Speaker 1: the Serbian royalists known as the Chechniques, and the pro 34 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: fascist Eustasia. Despite this, by late nineteen forty one, the 35 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: resistance movement had liberated nearly half the country. By nineteen three, 36 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: the Communist Party of Yugoslavia's membership was at two hundred 37 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: and fifty thousand people. The Allies chose to support the 38 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: Partisans rather than Yugoslavia's King Peter the Second. Tito's followers 39 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: established a communist government known as the National Liberation Committee, 40 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: and Tito was elected its president and field Marshal. In 41 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: nineteen forty five, Tito declared that the Federal Republic of 42 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: Yugoslavia had replaced the monarchy as the government of the country, 43 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: and he created a communist regime for Yugoslavia modeled after 44 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union. From nine to nineteen fifty three, Tito 45 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,239 Speaker 1: acted as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense in the government. 46 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: He enacted a dictatorship that used the secret Police force 47 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: to remove opposition, and he declared a five year plan 48 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: to industrialize Yugoslavia, though he delayed collectivizing agriculture because he 49 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: thought that peasants may lead an uprising that would cause 50 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: mass starvation. And Tito also put into effect a constitution 51 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: that divided Yugoslavia into six republics plus the regions of 52 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: Kosovo and Voivodina. In addition to this, Tito pursued an 53 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: anti Western foreign policy. Tito faced serious conflicts with Stalin, 54 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: who expelled Yugoslavia from the International Association of Communist Parties 55 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty eight. He even ordered Tito's assassination, but 56 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: Tito had the support of the Yugoslav people, the Communist 57 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: Party of Yugoslavia, and the West. He soon began to 58 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: break up the central authority of the country's government and 59 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: economy and moved away from communist policies. He established workers councils, 60 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: transferred authority from the national government to local ones, established 61 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: new legal imprison systems, and started arresting fewer people for 62 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: political reasons. Tina was named President of Yugoslavia in nineteen 63 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: fifty three. A decade later, on April seventh, nineteen sixty three, 64 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: he was proclaimed president for life. He ruled until his 65 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,720 Speaker 1: death in May of nineteen eighty. He was replaced by 66 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: a collective presidency. Tito's presidency was viewed as authoritarian, and 67 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: he repressed and purged his political opponents, but Yugoslavia under 68 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: his rule was considered the most liberal communist state in Europe. 69 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: The He had overwhelming support in Yugoslavia and other countries 70 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: around the world. He left Yugoslavia with a lot of 71 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: overseas debt and growing ethnic tensions. I'm each depacote and 72 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 73 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. Feel free to tell me something new 74 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: you learned about history by sending me an email at 75 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:25,280 Speaker 1: this Day at iHeart media dot com. You're also welcome 76 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: to leave us a message on social media on Facebook, Twitter, 77 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: or Instagram. At t D i HC podcast, Thanks as 78 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: always for listening to the show, and we'll see you 79 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: again tomorrow. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit 80 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 81 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.