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Zoran Bajin, PhD
Institute for Recent History of Serbia, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia

 

KOČA POPOVIĆ AS A MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENCY OF THE SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA (1971–1972)

Vol. XLIV, 2/2026, pp. 471–490
https://doi.org/10.29362/ist20veka.2026.2.baj.471-490

 

ABSTRACT/RESUME:

The writer, communist and partisan general Koča Popović performed important duties in Yugoslavia after the Second World War. He was Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav People’s Army (1945–1953), State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (1953–1965) and Vice President of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1966–1967). In the early 1960’s he began to question communist ideology and became disillusioned with the Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito, due to his autocratic tendencies, dogmatism and leniency towards the Soviet Union. Without Tito’s approval, the liberal leadership of the League of Communist of Serbia chose Popović in the spring of 1971 to be a representative of that constituent republic in the newly-formed Presidency of the SFRY. Popović was not active at the meetings of this supposed collective head of state without any real influence, but in corridor discussions he did not hide his critical attitude towards Tito and the official policy of the League of Communist of Yugoslavia. Outraged by Popović’s defiance of his authority, Tito intended to remove him from the Presidency, but ultimately decided to deal first with the Serbian leadership. Popović did not stand up for the “Serbian liberals”, but after their dismissal in the autumn of 1972 he resigned his post as a sign of tacit protest. The Yugoslav public was not informed of the reasons for this act.

 

KEYWORDS: Koča Popović, Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, League of Communist of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, Edvard Kardelj, Marko Nikezić, “Serbian liberals”

 

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