'I’m too old to meddle in these things…': Yugoslavia’s No. 1 and the Useful Memories of World Politics

• In Event: Memory and Identity of Yugoslavia’s Nonalignment

Abstract

Lazic’s research on the last decade of Tito - Yugoslavia’s Number One – revealed almost a parodic nature of Tito’s stature as an elderly stateman who generously disposed the wealth of his experiences to his junior interlocutors. Survivor of both world wars, the Moscow purges, and the split with Stalin, the octogenarian leader wanted, at the same time, to project vitality and wisdom that came with his age and life experience even if Tito sometimes felt in the trap of his own vanity and appeared too paternalistic, overbearing, and often outdated. By exploring Tito’s use (and abuse) of historical memory to achieve Yugoslavia’s goals, this paper will help in better understanding of one of the driving forces behind Yugoslavia’s global ambitions.

Author

• Milorad Lazic, George Washington U