Ante Marković
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Ante Marković ( sh-Cyrl, Анте Марковић, ; 25 November 1924 – 28 November 2011) was a Croatian and Yugoslav politician, businessman and engineer. He is most notable for having served as the last Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1991.


Early life

Marković, was a Bosnian Croat, born in
Konjic Konjic ( sr-Cyrl, Коњиц) is a List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, city located in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in no ...
, then a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, presently in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
to a poor peasant family. In 1943 he joined the
Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats a ...
and fought with the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He received a degree in
electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
from the Electrotechnical Department of the Technical Faculty of the
University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
in 1954. He remained in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, where he was a director of Rade Končar Industrial Works from 1961 to 1984.


Political career


President of Croatia

In 1986, he became president of the Presidency of
Socialist Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...
replacing Michael Marković. He held that position until 1988, when he was replaced by Ivo Latin.


Prime Minister of Yugoslavia

He became prime minister in March 1989 following the resignation of Branko Mikulić. After that decision had become public, the U.S. had anticipated cooperation because Marković was known "to favor market-oriented reforms" – the BBC declared that he is "Washington's best ally in Yugoslavia". At the end of the year, Marković launched a new and ambitious program of unprecedented economic reforms, including the establishment of a
fixed exchange rate A fixed exchange rate, often called a pegged exchange rate, is a type of exchange rate regime in which a currency's value is fixed or pegged by a monetary authority against the value of another currency, a currency basket, basket of other currenc ...
, the
privatization Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
of failing social enterprises, as well as a program of
trade liberalization Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist political parties generall ...
. The result of his economic reforms was a halt to inflation, leading to a rise in Yugoslavia's standard of living. Nonetheless, the short-term effect of economic reforms undertaken by Marković led to a decline in Yugoslavia's industrial sector. Numerous bankruptcies occurred as socially-owned enterprises struggled to compete in a more free market environment, a fact later wielded against Marković by many of his opponents. By 1990, the annual rate of growth in GDP had declined to −7.5%. Marković was the most popular politician in
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
and owed his popularity to his image of a modern Western-styled politician. He had become a leading political figure for those who wanted Yugoslavia to be transformed into a modern, democratic federation. Marković also maintained popularity by staying out of increasingly virulent quarrels within the leadership of the
League of Communists of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats ...
or trying to act as mediator between various republics. When the League of Communists of Yugoslavia broke up in January 1990, Marković had only his popularity and the apparent success of his economic program on his side. In July 1990, he formed the Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia (''Savez reformskih snaga''), a political party supporting a more centralized Yugoslav Federation, and accession to the European Community. This decision was not well received. Borisav Jović, then the
President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia The office of the president of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, , existed from the Death and state funeral of Josip Broz Tito, death of the President of the Republic Josip Broz Tito on 4 M ...
, commented
The general conclusion is that Ante Markovic is no longer acceptable or reliable to us. No one has any doubts in their mind any longer that he's the extended arm of the United States in terms of overthrowing anyone who ever thinks of socialism, and it is through our votes that we appointed him Prime Minister in the Assembly. He is playing the most dangerous game of treason.
Jović concluded that Marković
was no doubt the most active creator of the destruction of our economy, and to a large extent a significant participant in the break-up of Yugoslavia. Others, when boasted of having broken up Yugoslavia wanted to take this infamous role upon themselves but in all these respects they never came close to what Marković did, who had declared himself as the protagonist of Yugoslavia's survival
Later, his programme was sabotaged by
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
who
had virtually sealed Markovic's failure by December 1990 by secretly securing an illegal loan worth $1.7 billion from Serbia's main bank to ease his reelection that month. The loan undermined Markovic's economic austerity program, undoing the progress that had been made toward controlling the country's inflation rate.
Christopher Bennet, in ''Yugoslavia's Bloody Collapse'', stated:
Quite simply, the bank printed whatever money Milošević felt he needed to get himself reelected and the size of the 'loan' became clear a few weeks later when inflation took off again throughout the country. As the economy resumed its downward slide, Marković knew his enterprise had failed ..
The authority of the federal government was further diminished by secessionist moves in
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
and
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. In the last months of his tenure Marković tried to find a compromise between secessionists and those demanding that Yugoslavia remain a single entity. His efforts, although favored by the governments in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
and Macedonia, ultimately failed, because the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
, which should have served the interests of top-level governance, sided with Milošević. Frustrated and politically impotent, Marković told his cabinet in September 1991 what he had gleaned from a wiretap that had come into his possession, which detailed a plan to partition Bosnia and Herzegovina:
The line has been clearly established etween the Serbian government, the army and Serb politicians in Bosnia I know because I heard Slobodan Milošević give the order to
Radovan Karadžić Radovan Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal ...
to get in contact with General Uzelac and to order, following the decisions of the meeting of the military hierarchy, that arms should be distributed and that the TO of Krajina and Bosnia be armed and utilized in the realization of the RAM plan.
Before he resigned in December 1991, Markovic endorsed the Carrington Plan to transform Yugoslavia into a loose confederation of states as a means to prevent a further escalation of the
Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
. In the end, all his efforts failed to stop the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia.


Assassination attempt

Approximately at noon of 7 October 1991, Marković met with
Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...
, then
President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia The office of the president of the Presidency of Yugoslavia, Presidency of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, , existed from the Death and state funeral of Josip Broz Tito, death of the President of the Republic Josip Broz Tito on 4 M ...
and
Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...
, then President of Croatia in the Banski dvori. The purpose of the meeting was to persuade Marković to leave his position as the head of the Yugoslav federal government and endorse Croatian independence. Nonetheless the persuasion left Marković unfazed and unplacated. The three then moved into the president's office for dessert. Shortly after, the
Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...
attempted to assassinate Marković along with the democratically elected leadership of
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
with a
decapitation strike Decapitation is a military strategy aimed at removing the leadership or command and control of a hostile government or group. In nuclear warfare In nuclear warfare theory, a decapitation strike is a pre-emptive first strike attack that aims ...
on Banski dvori. Marković immediately blamed Yugoslav defense minister
Veljko Kadijević Veljko Kadijević ( sr-Cyrl, Вељко Кадијевић; 21 November 1925 – 2 November 2014) was a Serbian General officer, general of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). He was the Minister of Defence in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugo ...
, and refused to return to
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
until Kadijević resigned from his post.


Life after 1991

Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, Marković disappeared from the public eye and decided to work in
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
as an economic adviser. In 1993, he was rumoured to be Tuđman's choice for Croatian prime minister, apparently due to his economic expertise. The post ultimately went to Nikica Valentić, who established many of the same economic reforms that Marković did while prime minister. In the early 2000s, he worked as an economic advisor to the Macedonian government. In the late 2000s, he worked as an economic advisor to the government of
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. Marković also dedicated himself to a business career and spent most of his time in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, building luxury apartment buildings and small hydropower plants. He appeared as a witness at the Slobodan Milošević trial at the
ICTY The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribun ...
in 2003. This appearance broke his 12 years of silence; after that testimony, he gave an interview to the
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
-based '' Globus'' news magazine. In his testimony, he stated that Milošević was obviously striving to carve a
Greater Serbia The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia () describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, inclu ...
out of the ruins of
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
. He also revealed that both Milošević and Tuđman confirmed to him that in March 1991 in Karađorđevo they made an agreement to partition Bosnia and Herzegovina. Milošević responded by blaming Marković for the intervention of the Yugoslav Army in Slovenia. Marković denied ordering intervention in Slovenia, stating that it was outside his mandate as prime minister of Yugoslavia. Marković died in the early hours of 28 November 2011, after a short illness, aged 87. Ante Marković was buried in
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...
. His funeral was attended by former Croatian president
Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...
, Milorad Dodik, as
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Republika Srpska, filmmaker Emir Kusturica among many others. The Croatian Sabor (parliament) also sent their condolences to the family of Ante Marković.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Markovic, Ante 1924 births 2011 deaths People from Konjic Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb alumni Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia members Presidents of the Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Croatia Croat politicians from Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidents of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Croatia politicians Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia politicians Members of the Central Committee of the 13th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia