Josip Broz Tito

Josip Broz Tito was the leader of Yugoslavia who unified the country after World War II by leading partisan resistance and establishing a socialist federation in 1945. Independent from Soviet control, he positioned Yugoslavia as a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. Domestically, he suppressed nationalism through decentralization and authoritarian rule, maintaining unity among the republics. Following his death in 1980, rising nationalist tensions led to Yugoslavia’s violent breakup by 1992.