The Rise of Milošević

Abstract

Scholars of socialist Yugoslavia and supporters of Slobodan Milošević share the view that he rose personally as a leader due to the broad appeal of his political programme.1 According to one version of this view, Milošević overwhelmed his initially more powerful rivals in 1987 by obtaining majority support in the higher ranks of the League of Communists of Serbia (LCS) for his nationalist programme, namely the reduction of the autonomy of Kosovo. The other version of the thesis says that he extended nationalist appeal to the population at large and established control over party and state organs in the largest of Yugoslavia’s republics mainly by bringing pressure from society on the political elite. In any case, Milošević allegedly emerged from the leadership struggle as a very powerful leader and was thus able to purge his rivals from the regional leadership and embark upon the implementation of a nationalist programme.2 The supporters of Milošević have largely agreed with scholars. Borisav Jovic, his right-hand man, claimed ‘the removal of the bureaucratic leadership of Serbia, which had subserviently accepted the division of Serbia into three parts’ to be one of their main achievements (Duga, 7 June 1991).