Aleksandar Ranković
Aleksandar Ranković | |
|---|---|
Александар Ранковић | |
Ranković in 1960 | |
| 1st Vice President of Yugoslavia | |
| In office 30 June 1963 – 1 July 1966 | |
| President | Josip Broz Tito |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Koča Popović |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia | |
| In office 1 April 1949 – 18 April 1963 | |
| Prime Minister | Josip Broz Tito |
| Preceded by | Jaša Prodanović |
| Succeeded by | Svetislav Stefanović |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 2 February 1946 – 14 January 1953 | |
| Prime Minister | Josip Broz Tito |
| Preceded by | Vlada Zečević |
| Succeeded by | Svetislav Stefanović |
| Chief of OZNA | |
| In office 13 May 1944 – March 1946 | |
| Vice President of the People's Assembly of Serbia | |
| In office November 1944 – January 1946 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 November 1909 |
| Died | 19 August 1983 (aged 73) |
| Resting place | New Cemetery, Belgrade, Serbia |
| Party | Communist Party of Yugoslavia (1928–1966) |
| Spouses | Anđa Jovanović
(m. 1935; died 1942)Slavka Becele (m. 1946) |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Politician, soldier, worker |
| Awards | Order of the People's HeroOrder of the Hero of Socialist LabourOrder of National Liberation |
| Nickname(s) | Leka, Marko |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Yugoslavia |
| Branch/service | Yugoslav Partisans |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Colonel general |
| Battles/wars | World War II in Yugoslavia |
Aleksandar Ranković (nom de guerre Marko, nicknamed Leka; Serbian Cyrillic: Александар Ранковић Лека; 28 November 1909 – 19 August 1983) was a Serbian and Yugoslav communist politician, considered to be the third most powerful man in Yugoslavia after Josip Broz Tito and Edvard Kardelj. Ranković was a proponent of a centralized Yugoslavia and opposed efforts that promoted decentralization that he deemed to be against the interests of the Serbian people; he ensured Serbs had a strong presence in Serbia's Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo's nomenklatura. Ranković cautioned against separatist forces in Kosovo who were commonly suspected of pursuing seditious activities.
The popularity of Ranković in Serbia became apparent at his funeral in 1983, which large numbers of people attended. Many considered Ranković a Serbian "national" leader. Ranković's policies have been perceived as the basis of the policies of Slobodan Milošević.