Wikipedia

Moša Pijade

Moša Pijade (Cyrillic: Мoшa Пијаде, alternate English transliteration Moshe Piade; 3 January 1890 [O.S. 22 December 1889][a] – 15 March 1957), was a Serbian and Yugoslav painter, journalist, Communist Party politician, World War II participant, and a close collaborator of Josip Broz Tito. He was the full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. During the Interwar period in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Pijade was an accomplished painter, but spent almost 15 years in prison because of his communist activity. He took active role in the People's Liberation War and was one of main leaders of the Partisans. After the WWII and creation of socialist Yugoslavia, he became a prominent politician and was the President of the Federal Parliament from 1954 until his death.

Moša Pijade
5th President of the Federal People's Assembly
In office
28 January 1954 – 15 March 1957
Preceded byMilovan Đilas
Succeeded byPetar Stambolić
Vice President of the Federal Executive Council
In office
14 January 1953 – 28 January 1954
PresidentJosip Broz Tito
Personal details
Born3 January 1890 [O.S. 22 December 1889][a]
Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia
Died15 March 1957(1957-03-15) (aged 67)
Paris, France
NationalityYugoslav
Political partyCommunist Party of Yugoslavia
SpouseLepa Nešić Pijade
OccupationPainter, Art critic, Publicist, Revolutionary, Resistance commander, Statesman
Military service
AllegianceSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia
Branch/serviceYugoslav People's Army
RankMajor General of Yugoslav People's Army
CommandsYugoslav Partisans
Yugoslav People's Army
Battles/warsWorld War II

Life and career edit

Pijade was born in Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia, on 3 January 1890 [O.S. 22 December 1889][a] into a family of Sephardic Jewish origin. His father Samuilo Pijade was a rich merchant. In his youth, Pijade studied painting. In 1906, he moved to Munich, Germany to study painting. Soon after, his father went bankrupt, so Pijade could not afford to continue studies. He then moved to Paris, France wher he spent a year, and then moved to Brittany where he painted landscapes.[2]

After returning to Belgrade in 1910,[2] Pijade also became a journalist and political caricaturist.[5] In 1913, he moved to Ohrid in then-southern Serbia, where he worked as an art teacher, but also tough French and German. When the World War I broke out in 1914, he volunteered to serve in the Serbian Army, but was refused. Next year, he moved back to Belgrade where he worked for the Pravda newspaper until the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia in September 1915. During the occupation, Pijade worked as a waiter in Ćuprija and then as an advertising professional in Valjevo.[2]

In 1919, in Belgrade, he established daily newspaper Slobodna reč ("Free word"). In 1920, he started to collaborate with the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) newspaper Radničke novine ("Workers' news"). The same year, he became the member of the CPY. In 1921, he became member of the party's executive committee, after the previous committee was arrested due to ban on communist activity. Soon, the CPY was banned altogether and it went underground. In this period, he re-established Slobodna reč, now as a weekly. In 1923, in a bid to legalize their work, communists established a cover party named Independent Workers' Party of Yugoslavia (IWPY), where Pijade became active. He was the editor of that party's newspaper Radnik ("The Worker"), and after Radnik was banned, he edited Okovani radnik ("Chained worker").[1] The IWPY won no seats at the 1923 and 1925 parliamentary elections.[6] Eventually, the IWPY was banned too.[7] During the in-fight between the "rightist" and "leftist" factions inside the CPY during the 1920s, Pijade opposed the rightists, who led the party at that time. He fervently argued for Leninism and Bolshevism.[8]

After the ban of IWPY, the CPY tasked Pijade with establishing secret communist print shop in Belgrade. The print shop secretly published communist leaflets and a magazine called Komunist. In February 1925, the print shop was discovered by the police and Pijade was sentenced to 12 years in prison due to "anti-state activity" (Initially to 20 years, but reduced after an appeal[9]). In 1934, while in prison, he was sentenced to two additional years because of the communist activity in the prison. While in the Lepoglava Prison, Pijade met Josip Broz Tito, who was serving a five-year sentence. They remained close friends and associates until his death. Pijade served out his full sentence and was released in April 1939.[1]

While in the Sremska Mitrovica Prison, Pijade translated Das Kapital by Karl Marx into Serbo-Croatian (under pseudonym Porobić).[10] He also translated The Communist Manifesto, The Poverty of Philosophy, and the introduction to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.[1] While he was imprisoned, Pijade's paintings became part of collection of the Prince Paul Museum in Belgrade.[11]

After returning home in 1939, Pijade immediately continued his communist activity, so he was arrested again in January 1940 and took to the Bileća prison. He was released in April 1940, only to be arrested again in February 1941. He was released on 4 April 1941, two days before the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia.[1] After release from prison in 1939, Pijade met and the married Lepa Nešić, a widow and member of the CPY.[2] At the 5th National Conference of the CPY in October 1940, Pijade was elected the member of the Central Committee.

World War II edit

 
Tito and Moša Pijade in 1942

During the April War, Pijade relocated from Belgrade to Montenegro where he was one of the leaders of the communist-led uprising against axis occupation (July 1941), which was part of the wider communist-led anti-axis struggle.[1] The uprising saw initial success, and most of the territory of Montenegro was temporarily liberated. Under the influence of Pijade and Milovan Đilas, Montenegrin Partisans pursued an extreme form of prosecution of the perceived class enemies and those who were not willing to submit to the communist authority. This policy was later condemned by the CPY and deemed "Leftist errors".[12] During this period, many "enemies of the people" were killed by the Partisans.[2]

In late 1941, Pijade was transferred to the main Partisan headquarters. There, he was not in charge of military actions, but was organizing supplies and administration of the liberated territories. In the meantime, almost whole his family perished in the Holocaust. His sisters Šelika and Micika and brothers Josif and David were all killed in the Sajmište concentration camp in Belgrade, while his brother Velizar was shot in Niš.[2] Pijade's wife Lepa was with him and the Partisans during the whole war.[2]

Pijade was the main author of two documents that were adopted by the main headquarters in Foča on 3 February 1942. Those two documents, collectively known as the "Foča Regulations" defined the way in which Partisan-liberated territories were to be administrated by People's Liberation Councils, and the organization of those councils.[13] Foča Regulations were later celebrated by the communists as the basis of the new post-war system of governance.[14]

Pijade was one of the main organizers of the First session of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) in Bihać in November 1942.[2] AVNOJ was the highest executive body of the communist-led People's Front. At the second session of AVNOJ in Jajce in November 1943, Pijade was elected its Vice-President.[1] Just before the Jajce session, Pijade initiated the foundation of Tanjug, Partisan news agency which, after the war, became the state news agency of Yugoslavia.[2] Pijade said that one of the main tasks is to quickly inform the allied public about the AVNOJ session and its decisions, so to win their sympathy for Partisans' cause.[15]

Pijade held high political posts during World War II and was a member of the Central Committee and the Politburo of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, being one of leaders of Tito's partisans. His nomes de guerre were Čiča Janko (Uncle Janko) and Šiki.[16]

Later career edit

For his services during the war, Pijade was subsequently awarded the Order of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia, Order of People's Liberation, and the Commemorative Medal of the Partisans of 1941.[17] He continued to maintain an important role in the government of the newly proclaimed Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. He was one of the Vice Presidents of the Temporary National Assembly (1945), Vice President of the Presidium of the National Assembly (deputy head of state) between 1945 and 1953, Vice-president of the Federal Executive Council (government) between 1953 and 1954, and then President of the Federal People's Assembly (1954-57).

In August 1945, Pijade delivered a report at the 3rd (last) session of AVNOJ.[18] At the session, AVNOJ was transformed into the Temporary National Assembly and Moše Pijade stayed its Vice-president.[19] He was the chair of the Legislative committee of the Assembly.[20] In September, he was named the chair of the council that was tasked with implementing agrarian reform.[21] At the 1945 parliamentary election, he was elected member of the Constituent Assembly as a representative of the City of Belgrade constituency.[22] He was member of the committee that was tasked with the preparation of the text of the new constitution[23] that was eventually ratified as the 1946 Constitution of Yugoslavia. After new constitution was adopted, the Constituent Assembly was transformed into the National Assembly[24] and Pijade was elected Vice-President of the Presidium of the National Assembly, a post he held until it was abolished in 1953.[1] In January 1953, Pijade was elected Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council.[25] He stayed on that post until January 1954, when he was elected President of the Federal National Assembly.[26] He stayed on that post until his death.[27]

At the 5th Congress of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (July 1948), Pijade was re-elected member of the Central Committee and then was elected member of the 5th Politburo. During the Tito–Stalin split (1948) and the subsequent Informbiro period, Pijade strongly supported Tito's line. At the 6th Congress (November 1952), he was again elected member of the Central Committee and member of the 6th Executive Committee (former Politburo).[1] In 1950, Pijade was admitted full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.[28]

In 1948 Pijade convinced Tito to allow those Jews who remained in Yugoslavia to emigrate to Israel. Tito agreed on a one-time exception basis. As a result, 3,000 Jews emigrated from Yugoslavia to Israel on the SS Kefalos in December 1948. Among those was Tommy Lapid, who became Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and was the father of Yair Lapid.[29]

Death and legacy edit

On 15 March 1957, Pijade arrived to Paris from London, where he had talks as leader of a Yugoslav parliamentary delegation. The plane arrived to Le Bourget Airport around 1:30 PM.[30] Pijade stayed with his wife at the residence of Yugoslav ambassador Aleš Bebler. In the afternoon, Pijade and his wife took a walk at the Parc Monceau. During the walk, he felt ill, so they returned to the residence. There, he tried to relax, but his condition worsened, so the doctor was called, but he could not help. Pijade died at 6:15 PM.[27] The cause of death was reported as coronary thrombosis.[31]

His body was transferred to Belgrade on 16 March and lied in state in the House of the Federal Assembly.[32] On March 18, he was buried at the Tomb of People's Heroes inside the Belgrade Fortress. According to the official count, the state funeral was attended by 300,000 people. Tito, Lidija Šentjurc (Vice-President of the Federal People's Assembly), Miloš Minić and Siniša Stanković gave eulogies.[33] Following Pijade's death, Federal Executive Council declared five days of national mourning (March 15-19).[27]

Streets and schools in many cities of the former Yugoslavia were once named after him. Many of those names were removed following the Breakup of Yugoslavia due to decommunization. In 1994, there were 22 elementary schools in Serbia named after Moša Pijade.[34] As of 2024, eight of those schools are still named "Moša Pijade".[35] There are around 40 streets in Serbia named after Pijade as of 2024.[36] One street in Maribor is named "Moše Pijade".[37]

Moša Pijade monument is located in front of the Politika a.d. building in downtown Belgrade. It was unveiled in 1969[38] and declared a cultural monument in 1987.[39] A monument in Zagreb, authored by Antun Augustinčić, was unveiled in 1961,[40] placed near an adult education college at the time named after Pijade, but the institution was since renamed and the monument moved in 1993 from that location in Trnje to an unrelated location in Maksimir, near the nursing home named after Lavoslav Schwarz.[41] Another Moša Pijade monument is located in front of the AVNOJ Museum in Jajce.[42] There is also a bust of Moša Pijade in Podgorica.[43] Monument dedicated to Pijade in Sisak was removed after the breakup of Yugoslavia.[44]

Pijade has been commemorated on the Yugoslavian postage stamps twice. First, in 1968, as part of the "People's heroes" issue,[45] and then in 1982 on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Foča regulations.[46]

Awards edit

Notes and references edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c According to most sources, Pijada was born on 4 January 1890 (Gregorian calendar).[1][2] But, Serbia was using the Julian (Old Style) calendar until 1919. Sources that use the Old Style all say that he was born on 22 December 1889.[3][4] Pijade himself wrote that his 14th birthday was on 22 December 1903.[2] In 19th century, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendars was 12 days. Thus, 22 December 1889 corresponds to 3 January 1890 (see Conversion between Julian and Gregorian calendars). The misunderstanding stems from the fact that the difference between the calendars grew to 13 days after 1900, thus Pijade's birthday (22 December Old Style) only became 4 January New Style after 1900.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Верни син Партије и народа". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 2. 16 March 1957.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Moša Pijade - kad revolucija pobedi slikarstvo". BBC News na srpskom (in Serbian (Latin script)). 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  3. ^ Ko je ko u Jugoslaviji (PDF) (in Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb: Jugoslovenski godišnjak, Nova Evropa. 1928. p. 116.
  4. ^ Комеморативни скуп поводом смрти академика Моше Пијаде (in Serbo-Croatian). Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Sciences. 1957.
  5. ^ "Pojava i razvitak političke karikature u Srbiji". Štampa: 45. 1 January 1927.
  6. ^ Stanojević, St. (1929). Narodna enciklopedija srpsko-hrvatsko-slovenačka (in Serbo-Croatian). Vol. IV. Zagreb: Bibliografski zavod D. D. p. 290.
  7. ^ "ОСНИВАЊЕ И ЗАБРАНА НЕЗАВИСНЕ РАДНИЧКЕ ПАРТИЈЕ ЈУГОСЛАВИЈЕ". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 2. 11 January 1953.
  8. ^ "Веран син наше Партије". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1, 3. 4 January 1950.
  9. ^ "Моша Пијаде и Коста Чипчић спроведени су јуче у Пожаревац". Vreme: 6. 9 February 1926.
  10. ^ "СУШТИНА И ЦИЉЕВИ МАРКСИЗМА". Srpski narod: 4. 8 May 1943.
  11. ^ "МУЗЕЈ КНЕЗА ПАВЛА". Beogradske opštinske novine: 24. 15 March 1930.
  12. ^ Goulding, Daniel J. (2002). Liberated Cinema: The Yugoslav Experience, 1945–2001. Indiana University Press. p. 14. ISBN 0-253-34210-4. Under the influence of Milovan Djilas and the Marxist intellectual Mosa Pijade, however, the Partisan forces in Montenegro followed an extremist political line
  13. ^ "РЕВОЛУЦИОНАР И ХУМАНИСТА". Borba: 11. 20 June 1965.
  14. ^ "КАЛЕНДАР ДОГАЂАЈА". Borba: 12. 3 February 1961.
  15. ^ Radulović, Dušan (14 August 2013). "Kratka istorija slave i propasti". Vreme.
  16. ^ Broz Tito, Josip (1982). Sabrana djela (PDF). Vol. IX. Belgrade: Komunist; BIGZ; Naprijed. p. 327.
  17. ^ "ОПРОШТАЈ НА ТРГУ РЕПУБЛИКЕ". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 3. 19 March 1957.
  18. ^ "Извештај Претседништва Антифашистичког већа народног ослобођења Југославије". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 3–4. 8 August 1945.
  19. ^ "АВНОЈ проглашен Привременом народном скупштином Демократске Федеративне Југославије". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 11 August 1945.
  20. ^ "Једанаеста седница Законодавног одбора Привремене народне скупштине". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 4. 25 August 1945.
  21. ^ "ИМЕНОВАЊЕ ПРЕТСЕДНИКА И ЧЛАНОВА АГРАРНОГ САВЕТА". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 3. 1 September 1945.
  22. ^ "Изборни одбор Народног фронта Србије одредио је носиоце окружних листа". Borba: 2. 26 September 1945.
  23. ^ "Завршен је претрес нацрта Устава у појединостима пред Уставотворним одборима Народне скупштине". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 3 January 1946.
  24. ^ "УСТАВОТВОРНА СКУПШТИНА ПРОГЛАСИЛА ЈЕ УСТАВ ФЕДЕРАТИВНЕ НАРОДНЕ РЕПУБЛИКЕ ЈУГОСЛАВИЈЕ". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 1 February 1946.
  25. ^ "Избор Савезног извршног већа". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 3. 15 January 1953.
  26. ^ "Моша Пијаде нови претседник Савезне народне скупштине". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 30 January 1954.
  27. ^ a b c "УМРО ЈЕ МОША ПИЈАДЕ". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 16 March 1957.
  28. ^ "МОША ПИЈАДЕ ИЗАБРАН ЗА РЕДОВНОГ ЧЛАНА СРПСКЕ АКАДЕМИЈЕ НАУКА". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 4. 19 November 1950.
  29. ^ Yair Lapid Memories After My Death: The Story of Joseph 'Tommy' Lapid, p. 81
  30. ^ "УМРЕ НАМ ЧИЧА". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 3. 16 March 1957.
  31. ^ "Смрт је наступила услед срчаног напада". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 3. 16 March 1957.
  32. ^ "Моша Пијаде - револуционар непоколебљивог духа". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 17 March 1957.
  33. ^ "НЕКА ТИ ЈЕ ВЕЧНА СЛАВА, ДРАГИ НАШ ДРУЖЕ МОШО". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 1. 19 March 1957.
  34. ^ Mladenović, Božica (1997). "У лавиринту традиција: од "Св. Саве" до "Митраљете" и "Ћићка" (Савремени називи основних школа у Србији)" [In the Labyrint of Tradition: from "Saint Sava" to "Mitraljeta" and "Ćićko" (Contemporary School Names in Serbia)] (PDF). Annual of Social History. IV (1): 35–42.
  35. ^ Контакт подаци основних, музичких и балетских школа, euprava.gov.rs
  36. ^ Адресни регистар at DATA.GOV.RS
  37. ^ "Register nepremične kulturne dediščine". giskd2s.situla.org. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  38. ^ "Spomenik Moši Pijade u Beogradu". Hronologija izlaganja skulpture u Srbiji (in Serbian). 1969-07-07. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  39. ^ "Споменик Моши Пијаде". nasledje.gov.rs. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  40. ^ "У Загребу откривен споменик Моши Пијаде". Borba: 16. 29 November 1961.
  41. ^ "Moša Pijade". Zagrebački.info. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015.
  42. ^ "Početna strana". www.muzejavnoj.ba. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  43. ^ "Oskrnavljena spomen-bista Moše Pijade na Bulevaru Ivana Crnojevića". Pobjeda (in Serbo-Croatian). 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  44. ^ Mirić, Anja, Spomenici revolucije na području grada Zagreba: mjesta sjećanja i zaborava, Diplomski rad, SVEUČILIŠTE U ZAGREBU, 2018
  45. ^ Michel YU 1312, Yvert et Tellier YU 1205, Stanley Gibbons YU 1355
  46. ^ Michel YU 1916, Yvert et Tellier YU 1802, Stanley Gibbons YU 2013
  47. ^ "Одликовани Орденом народног хероја". Borba: 15. 29 November 1953.
  48. ^ "Друг Моша Пијаде одликован Орденом јунака социјалистичког рада". Borba: 2. 1 January 1950.
  49. ^ "Претседништво Антифашистичког већа народног ослобођења Југославије одлиновало је Орденом народног ослобођења маршала Југославије Јосипа Броза-Тита". Borba: 1. 28 February 1945.
  50. ^ "Едвард Кардељ одликован Орденом народног хероја". Borba: 8. 22 December 1951.
  51. ^ a b "Укази Президијума Народне скупштине ФНРЈ о одликовању". Borba: 2. 5 June 1947.
  52. ^ "Претседнику Президијума Народне скупштине ФНРЈ др Ивану Рибару и потпретседнику Моши Пијаде предата су висока албанска одликовања". Borba: 2. 5 December 1946.
  53. ^ "Висока одликовања". Borba (in Serbo-Croatian): 5. 14 July 1956.

External links edit

 
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