ABSTRACT
Tito led an independent Yugoslavia that defied the Soviet Union and created a relatively stable and prosperous communist state. However, his policies ultimately unleashed ethnic nationalism that destroyed his country 10 years after his death. In 1913 Tito began his obligatory military service for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War I broke out in 1914, Tito served honorably until March 1915, when he was captured by Russian forces. The confusion created by the March 1917 revolution in Russia enabled Tito to escape. He joined the Bolshevik Red Guards until he returned to Croatia in 1920. In 1923 Tito joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY), engaging in organizational activities that got him imprisoned from 1928 to 1934, after which he joined other CPY exiles in Vienna. When Tito asserted a measure of independence from Soviet dominance, joseph stalin expelled Yugoslavia from the Cominform in 1948 and sent agents to assassinate Tito.
