Izvor: N1 televizija, 04.Maj.2018, 08:21 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
Lifetime Yugoslav boss died 38 years ago
On May 4, 1980, Josip Broz Tito, the lifetime Yugoslavia’s President, the head of the former country’s Communist Party and the Commander-in-chief of the once mighty army, died in Ljubljana, Slovenia, age 88.
Tito headed Yugoslavia for 35 years, took it out from the then Soviet block and was one of the founders and leaders of the Non-aligned Movement.
Over 200 heads of states, royalties, prime ministers and other high ranking politicians attended his funeral in Belgrade, >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << including Mahatma Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Leonid Brezhnev and others.
He is buried in the yard of his Belgrade’s residence, which those who still respect his work from all over the former country visit every May 4 to lay wreaths and flowers.
Years after his death, sirens would go off at 3:05 pm and people would stop whatever they were doing and honoured a minute of silence. The practice lasted for a decade.
Tito’s birthday, declared the Youths’ Day, was celebrated on May 25, though some historians believed he was actually born in March.
His instant political legacy was a collective presidency of the leaders of the then six republics, with Serbia having two autonomous provinces – Vojvodina in the north and Kosovo in the south, rotating yearly at the country's helm.
Just under 11 years after his death Yugoslavia plunged into a war that left over 100,000 dead and many more wounded and displaced after Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in June 1991, which Belgrade opposed.
Bosnia and Macedonia followed suit, and finally, Montenegro left a union with Serbia, leaving the country Tito headed divided into six states, two of which are now the EU and NATO members.
The other four are queuing for either or both memberships, with Kosovo’s independence still not recognised by Serbia and some other world’s countries.
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