Understaning the Tito-Stalin Split
Understanding the Tito-Stalin Split
Introduction
The split between Josip Broz Tito, leader of Yugoslavia, and Joseph Stalin, head of the Soviet Union, is arguably one of the most watershed moments in Soviet history. It was a sign of a rising and powerful Yugoslavia, the first break in the Eastern bloc, and inspired a shift in Soviet policy and political thought. Focusing on the timespan from 1941 to 1948, I claim that, though the break between the two leaders was caused by a variety of factors, the root cause was Stalin’s prioritizing of foreign relations with the West. Stalin’s attempts to appease the Western powers went against Tito’s interests in spreading Yugoslavia’s influence. This is particularly true regarding Tito’s involvement in the Greek civil war, and his relations with Albania. It was a shock to Tito, and to the rest of the world, that Stalin decided to placate the West rather than side with Yugoslavia on these matters.1 However, realistically speaking, the Soviet Union was in no position to provoke the Western world post-World War II. Therefore, it is my thinking that the main source of friction between Stalin and Tito stemmed from their disagreements in prioritizing good relations with the West.
Background Information Leading up to the Tito-Stalin Split: From 1941 to 1948
After Stalin’s non-aggression pact with Germany fell through in in 1941, the USSR was pushed into the camp of the Western allies. In the April of that year, the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia. Thus, the Yugoslav Partisan resistance, led by Marshal Tito, was left to defend the nation. The Yugoslav Partisans were extremely successful at liberating their country, especially when compared to other resistance movements in Europe,2 as the Red Army only arrived after most of the fighting had already been done. “The arrival of the Soviet mission after two and a half years of delay turned out to be something of an anticlimax,” and Tito himself considered the belated deployment as
Introduction
The split between Josip Broz Tito, leader of Yugoslavia, and Joseph Stalin, head of the Soviet Union, is arguably one of the most watershed moments in Soviet history. It was a sign of a rising and powerful Yugoslavia, the first break in the Eastern bloc, and inspired a shift in Soviet policy and political thought. Focusing on the timespan from 1941 to 1948, I claim that, though the break between the two leaders was caused by a variety of factors, the root cause was Stalin’s prioritizing of foreign relations with the West. Stalin’s attempts to appease the Western powers went against Tito’s interests in spreading Yugoslavia’s influence. This is particularly true regarding Tito’s involvement in the Greek civil war, and his relations with Albania. It was a shock to Tito, and to the rest of the world, that Stalin decided to placate the West rather than side with Yugoslavia on these matters.1 However, realistically speaking, the Soviet Union was in no position to provoke the Western world post-World War II. Therefore, it is my thinking that the main source of friction between Stalin and Tito stemmed from their disagreements in prioritizing good relations with the West.
Background Information Leading up to the Tito-Stalin Split: From 1941 to 1948
After Stalin’s non-aggression pact with Germany fell through in in 1941, the USSR was pushed into the camp of the Western allies. In the April of that year, the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia. Thus, the Yugoslav Partisan resistance, led by Marshal Tito, was left to defend the nation. The Yugoslav Partisans were extremely successful at liberating their country, especially when compared to other resistance movements in Europe,2 as the Red Army only arrived after most of the fighting had already been done. “The arrival of the Soviet mission after two and a half years of delay turned out to be something of an anticlimax,” and Tito himself considered the belated deployment as