Vladimir Dedijer
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Dedijer was a Yugoslav partisan fighter
, politician
and historian
.
During World War II
he was an editor
of the Yugoslav Communist Party newspaper Borba
, and member of the agitprop
section to the General Staff.
After the war he was a member of Yugoslav delegation on 1946 Paris peace conference
and on several sessions of United Nations General Assembly
(1945-1952). In 1952 he became a member of the Party's Central Committee
and was excluded from it following the fall of Milovan Đilas. From then on, he devoted himself to writing history
and teaching (he taught at University of Belgrade
and at various universities in United Kingdom
and United States
). In 1955 he was charged with disseminating "hostile propaganda", but served no jail time.
One of his most famous books is The Yugoslav Auschwitz and the Vatican: The Croatian Massacre of the Serbs During World War II which was translated in several languages. Another book, The Road to Sarajevo, discusses the origins of World War I
. In his book Prilozi za biografiju Josipa Broza Tita, Dedijer cited casualties at the Jasenovac concentration camp
of 700,000 people. The figure is frequently quoted despite the fact that historians, Serb and non-Serb alike, do not consider this a reasonable estimate.
On the other hand, there are authors who strongly oppose this kind of revisionism considering it an outright downplay of the body count and a mere apologism.
He wrote two important accounts of Partisan history: Diary and Tito, both of which have been published in English
.
He was Chairman and President of Sessions at the 1966 Russell Tribunal
, and member of the Scientific Committee of the Russell Tribunal in Rome in 1974.
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the Yugoslav Communist Party newspaper Borba
Borba (newspaper)
Borba is a Serbian newspaper, formerly the official newspaper of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia...
, and member of the agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
section to the General Staff.
After the war he was a member of Yugoslav delegation on 1946 Paris peace conference
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...
and on several sessions of United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
(1945-1952). In 1952 he became a member of the Party's Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
and was excluded from it following the fall of Milovan Đilas. From then on, he devoted himself to writing history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and teaching (he taught at University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
and at various universities in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). In 1955 he was charged with disseminating "hostile propaganda", but served no jail time.
One of his most famous books is The Yugoslav Auschwitz and the Vatican: The Croatian Massacre of the Serbs During World War II which was translated in several languages. Another book, The Road to Sarajevo, discusses the origins of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In his book Prilozi za biografiju Josipa Broza Tita, Dedijer cited casualties at the Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
of 700,000 people. The figure is frequently quoted despite the fact that historians, Serb and non-Serb alike, do not consider this a reasonable estimate.
On the other hand, there are authors who strongly oppose this kind of revisionism considering it an outright downplay of the body count and a mere apologism.
He wrote two important accounts of Partisan history: Diary and Tito, both of which have been published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He was Chairman and President of Sessions at the 1966 Russell Tribunal
Russell Tribunal
The Russell Tribunal, also known as the International War Crimes Tribunal or Russell-Sartre Tribunal, was a public body organized by British philosopher Bertrand Russell and hosted by French philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre...
, and member of the Scientific Committee of the Russell Tribunal in Rome in 1974.
See also
- Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaSocialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaThe Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
- Jasenovac concentration campJasenovac concentration campJasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
- Jefto DedijerJefto DedijerJefto Dedijer was a Serb writer, geographer and influential in the formation of the Serb Academy. He who was born to a peasant family, in the 19th century in Bileća in the Herzegovina region of what was then Austria-Hungary. He had three sons, Vladimir, Boro Dedijer and Stevan...
- Stevan DedijerStevan DedijerStevan Dedijer was a Yugoslav academic and a pioneer of Business Intelligence.Stevan Dedijer was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serb parents, Milica Dedijer and Jefto Dedijer....