Richard West: Tito and the rise and fall of Yugoslavia, Carroll & Graf Publ., New York, 1994.

From my childhood I remember the song:

We overcame the adulation of Stalin even before Russians did, thanks in many ways to Tito. Was there a start out cult of Tito or a great-uncle type of admiration became a cult after his death, as a cry for his help from beyond the grave to preserve Yugoslavia?

The Battle of Sutjeska, as it came to be known, was fought with everything from planes and artillery to knives and rifle butts, and it almost destroyed the Partisan army. It was after the Battle of Sutjeska, in which he was wounded, that Tito began to be seen as a living legend, celebrated in countless songs, kolo dances, histories, novels and even a Hollywood film, in which he was played by Richard Burton. Whatever one thinks of Tito before and after the Battle of Sutjeska, it is hard to deny that during those terrible weeks he was a hero.

After several days of discussion, Maclean [British military missionary, Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean, sent to Tito in September 1943] arrived at this very favourable view of Tito:

"He was unusually ready to discuss any question on its merits and to take a decision there and then, without reference to a higher authority... There were other unexpected things about him: his surprising breadth of outlook; his apparent independence of mind; his never-failing sense of humour; his unashamed delight in the minor pleasures of life; a natural diffidence in human relationships, giving way to a natural friendliness and conviviality; a violent temper, flaring up in sudden rages; an occasional tendency to ostentation and display; a a considerateness and generosity which constantly manifested themselves in a dozen small ways; a surprising readiness to see both sides of a question; and finally, a strong instinctive national pride."

There was no precise month or even year when Yugoslavia changed from a Stalinist police state into a virtually open society... Historians under the Marxist influence believe that because something happened, then it was bound to happen, that Yugoslavia was bound to develop as it did. But why did the same thing not happen in other Communist countries? The answer to that lies partly at least in Tito’s will and leadership.

Unlike other dictators, who glorified their own egos, Tito preferred to enjoy the pomp and luxury of his life at the top. It was not his idea that the youth of the country hold a relay race on his birthday (or putative birthday), although he permitted the practice when it was introduced. Although his speeches were published in many unreadable volumes, Tito never regarded himself as a serious thinker, but jokingly left the ideas to people like Kardelj and Djilas. Although he was understandably proud of his wartime career, Tito never tried to take credit away from his lieutenants, even from those with whom he later quarreled. Unlike most dictators and most democratic politicians, Tito never held personal grudges and never exacted revenge.