The Beginning of the End
The Beginning of the End

Summary/Abstract: In 2003, Marko Nikezic's old speeches and interviews were published in a volume edited by Latinka Perovic, who also wrote the book's preface. The anthology not only sheds light on the political conflicts in Serbia in the early seventies, but also reveals the nature of today's political battles. Marko Nikezic (1921-1999) was among the party leaders who were active in the foreign ministry. During the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the relationship between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union cooled off, which explains why Nikezic - as the "new man" - could rise to the top of the Serbian Communist League. With time, Soviet-Yugoslav relations improved again, however, and this was a change Nikezic proved unwilling to adapt to. In the situation at hand, Tito chose to respond by siding with the Serbian national communists against the reformers. His decision signaled not only the end of Nikezic's career, but of Yugoslav reform communism also, and thus it also heralded the end of Yugoslavia.

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