Overview

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.

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9780299317744

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Reviews

“Much more than a stunning new biography. . . . This is a book written for the ages. . . . Offers a goldmine of information not just about Tito but Yugoslavia during tumultuous years."" - (Southeastern Europe) ""[A] brilliant, monumental biography . . . Pirjevec's task is to ascertain where the communist leader ended and the communist republic began.""- (The Herald (Glasgow)) ""Remarkable. . . . Pirjevec's achievement is truly impressive. . . . A significant contribution to Yugoslav historiography . . . and as a side benefit, it is tremendously entertaining.""- (American Historical Review) ""Monumental. . . . Wonderfully written, easy to follow, well researched, and rich with primary sources, and an excellent resource for students. . . . The English edition is very welcome."" - (Canadian Slavonic Papers / Revue Canadienne des Slavistes) ""An enlightening, enthralling biography of Yugoslavia's leader Tito.""- (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) ""Pirjevec has an eye for a good story. . . . His unique access to archives means he can devote extensive detail to the factional intrigue which brought Tito to the leadership of the Yugoslav Communist Party. . . . Pirjevec's biography is a considerable achievement.""- (The Historian) ""Fascinating and well written. . . . Pirjevec's biography is a vast improvement on all those that have preceded it. . . . An excellent resource for both students and scholars seeking information on specific aspects of his political engagement.""- (Journal of Modern History) ""Lively. . . . Certainly one of the more comprehensive biographies written to date. . . . Pirjevec excels as a story teller.""- (Slavic Review) ""A monumental biography.""- (L'Histoire) ""Tito's life is an extraordinary story, a series of theatrical coups and ruptures on a stage with many of the great figures of the last century. Pirjevec shows all the paradoxes and ambiguities of this fervent revolutionary who nonetheless enjoyed luxury, entertaining Hollywood stars or the Queen of England with equal splendor.""- (Le Monde) ""In a rigorous biography . . . Pirjevec describes the complex trajectory of the leader who wanted to make Yugoslavia a nation in its own right.""- (Liberation) ""Among Pirjevec's many new discoveries is circumstantial evidence suggesting that Tito may have ordered a Yugoslav assassin to induce Stalin's fatal stroke.""- (Daily Beast) ""Pirjevec paints an intricate portrait of a charismatic leader, authoritarian, devious, vivacious, sometimes generous, sometimes ruthless.""- (Historia)

Author Information

Jože Pirjevec is a research counselor at the Science and Research Center of Koper, Slovenia, and a fellow of the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences. His many books include The Yugoslav Wars: 1991–1999; The Partisans and Politics; and The Partisans and War.

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