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Vladimir BakarichYugoslav politician
Date of Birth: 08.03.1912
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Content:
- Vladimir Bakarić: A Life in Politics
- Political Career
- World War II and Postwar Years
- Post-War Government and Leadership
- Post-Socialist Yugoslavia
- Awards and Legacy
Vladimir Bakarić: A Life in Politics
Early Life and EducationVladimir Bakarić was born in Velika Gorica, Yugoslavia, on March 8, 1912. He completed primary school in Gospić and attended grammar schools in Ogulin and Zagreb. In 1935, he graduated from the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Law. In 1937, he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in law.
Political Career
From 1933 onward, Bakarić was a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. He played an active role in numerous labor and student demonstrations and was frequently arrested for his political activities. He worked as a legal assistant and, from 1937, held positions on the Croatian Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League of Yugoslavia and the Agitprop of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia. He became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia in 1940.
World War II and Postwar Years
During World War II, Bakarić was a prominent Marxist theorist and editor of several journals, including "Izraz," "Naše novine," and "Radničke novine." He joined the partisan resistance against the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and was the editor of the underground newspaper "Vjesnik." From 1942 onwards, he served as a political commissar in the General Staff of the Yugoslav National Liberation Army (NOVJ) in Croatia for two years.
Bakarić held various leadership positions during and after the war, including member of the Presidium of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia, the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was also the founder of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Croatia. In October 1944, he succeeded Andrija Hebrang as Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia, a position he held until 1969.
Post-War Government and Leadership
From 1945 to 1953, Bakarić served as the first Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Croatia. He also held the position of President of the Croatian Sabor (parliament) from 1945 to 1963 and was a deputy in the Croatian Sabor and the Federal Assembly from 1945 to 1963. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia and an honorary citizen of Zagreb since 1950.
Post-Socialist Yugoslavia
Bakarić remained active in politics after the breakup of Yugoslavia. In 1971-72, he joined Josip Broz Tito's campaign against "Croatian nationalists." In 1974, he proposed ideas for the decentralization of power in the country.
Awards and Legacy
Bakarić received numerous awards and medals, including the Order of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia in 1952. He died on January 16, 1983, and was buried in the Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb. His legacy as a prominent political figure in Yugoslavia continues to be debated today.
