45 years ago, president of ex Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, died

Tito was born in Kumrovac, a place on the Slovenian-Croatian border, in May 1892, and May 25 was marked as the date of his birth, which was declared as Youth Day in former Yugoslavia. That day used to be marked with a relay team coming to Belgrade, to the JNA stadium, after touring the whole of Yugoslavia.

He was at the helm of the federal state, made up of six republics, for less than 35 years - from the liberation of the country after the Second World War in 1945, until his death.

He led Yugoslavia out of the Eastern (Soviet) bloc and implemented reforms, after which the devastated and poor country became a medium-developed one, with a modern educational and social system.

However, the confiscation and nationalization of almost all private property, as well as the absence of a democratic system, free media and free elections, produced strict state and party control of the entire post-war life, while the ideological exclusivity of the government cost the freedom and even the lives of many who were unwilling or unable to adapt.

Despite this, he enjoyed enormous popularity among the people, which the lower-ranking leaders of the socialist system used to build a cult of personality, with the hope that it would be useful for them to continue to rule even after Tito's death.

Popular even on the international stage

The Non-Aligned Movement, in whose founding he played a huge role, strengthened his position on the international stage, and brought Yugoslavia closer to the inhabitants and markets of countries from Africa and Asia, which had a positive political and economic effect.

As a statesman from a relatively small country with 20 million inhabitants, he became a disproportionately important figure in world politics, an influential, popular and welcomed guest in almost all world centers - from London and Washington, to Moscow and New Delhi.

The self-government system in the economy, which was introduced in the mid-seventies of the last century, however, did not stand the test of time, the economy did not become competitive enough, nor capable of employing the appropriate part of the population.

In the last years of his life, perhaps without his decisive influence on decision-making, the indebtedness of the country increased sharply with the strengthening of social and later national tensions, which ten years later in 1990 will lead to the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia and the formation of small nation-states, weak influence and miniature political power.

Tito died on May 4, 1980, at 3:05 p.m., in the Clinical Center in Ljubljana, after complications following a leg amputation and other accumulated health problems. His body was transported by the "Blue Train" to Belgrade, and along the way it was accompanied by flowers and tears from hundreds of thousands of citizens who visited the deceased leader, who was laid out on a bier in the assembly building, for the next few days.

The funeral of Josip Broz Tito was attended by more than 200 prominent figures from around the world, presidents, prime ministers, kings, rulers and party leaders from 107 countries. Among them were Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Leonid Brezhnev and many others.

Almost half a century after his death, Tito remained a controversial and historically extremely interesting figure. His grave, as well as the Museum of Yugoslavia in the immediate vicinity, are visited by thousands of people from the former Yugoslavia every year.

Today, on the anniversary of his death, the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and entrance will be free for visitors.