Most prominent Yugoslav communists killed in the USSR during the Stalinist purges Sima Marković (1888–1939) – CPY theorist, Central Committee member. Labeled a “right-wing opportunist” in Moscow. Arrested 1938, executed 1939. Later “rehabilitation” was just a label on a grave without a body.
Filip Filipović (1882–1938) – CPY founder and early CK president. Accused of “Trotskyism,” “espionage,” “counterrevolution.” Executed 1938. Đuro Cvijić (1893–1938) – Revolutionary, CK member. Arrested, executed 1938; symbolic for his generation of CPY cadres in Moscow. Jovan Mališić (1895–1938) – CPY organizer in exile. Executed during the “Great Terror.” Julijana (Lepa) Božić (1898–1937) – CPY and Comintern member. Executed in 1937, likely as part of a quota for foreign communists. Kosta Novaković (1886–1937) – theorist and politician; critique of Stalinism provided pretext for execution. Milan Gorkić (1898–1937) – General Secretary of the CPY; removed and liquidated in Moscow. Formally accused of “counterrevolutionary activity.” Blagoje Parović (1903–1937) – Killed in Spain, but evidence shows execution was carried out by Stalin’s NKVD, not the fascists The CPY was illegal and often in exile; most leaders were not permanently in the USSR. The purges did not sweep the entire leadership, unlike in other parties.--- My point with this list: Many of us on the Marxist left know exactly what kind of system existed in the USSR under Stalin. This is not theory. In my country, we lived under a very similar model until Tito’s break with Stalin. So when someone claims that my description is “factually inaccurate” or “distorted,” I strongly disagree. The suppression of workers’ self-management, the elimination of socialist opposition, and the transformation of the revolutionary movement into a bureaucratic ruling apparatus were real historical processes. The fate of these committed revolutionaries confirms it. I understand objections to the term “Stalinist” and the preference for “Marxist-Leninist.” Fine. But for those of us with this historical experience, the term is descriptive. It captures a concrete social and political model that shaped whole generations. We’ve had these discussions before with similar arguments. I regret having to repeat myself, but the historical record doesn’t change. This is not about “idealistic democracy”; it is about lived history and documented repression within the socialist movement. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#39180): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/39180 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/116179785/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
