Leftist errors (Yugoslavia)

Leftist errors (leva/lijeva skretanja) was a term later used by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) to describe radical policies and strategies – described as the Red Terror by others – pursued by self-described left-wing elements among the party and partisan units during World War II, mostly in Montenegro, Herzegovina and Serbia, as well as to a lesser extent in Croatia and Slovenia. From 1941 to 1942, these areas saw mass executions, burning of villages and confiscation of property, motivated both by partisan fears of a "fifth column" and class conflict. As a result of communist actions, many villagers from Eastern Herzegovina and Montenegro, who were far from being collaborators or kulaks, joined Chetnik forces en masse. The Communist Party of Yugoslavia condemned actions undertaken during the period and punished several local commanders.

Name
This policy was also referred to as Leftist deviation or Left-wing deviation, Left Errors or sectarian deviations. In Titoist dogma after World War II this policy was referred to as the "Mistakes of the left" or "left deviations" while the others referred to it as Red Terror. This policy is sometimes referred to as the "Second Stage". Karl Marx believed that revolution has two stages: bourgeoisie-democratic and proletarian. He believed that in the second stage the proletarian revolution has to turn against its allies from the first stage.

Background


Josip Broz Tito was well known as leftist who was against any arrangements with non-communists. His formal appointment as general secretary of Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) was confirmed in October 1940 during the Fifth Land Conference of the CPY in Zagreb. At this conference Tito formulated the leftist strategy of the CPY as focused on revolutionary seizure of power in the country in order to organize Soviet-style administrative organization in Yugoslavia.

In July 1941, after the beginning of the Second World War, the Communist Politburo adopted the strategy which insisted that the Partisans should aim to create "liberated territories", cleared of enemies. According to the instructions of the Poliburo, such territories were to be administered by the communists in a state-like manner so the local population would be exposed to the ideas and practice of the socialism. On the territories that came under their control the communists adopted many leftist polices including radical socialism. This antagonized many peasants in Serbia, Montenegro and Herzegovina. Laziness was punished as desertion, peasants were punished with high taxes or forced labor if their houses were not tidy or if they got lice. The Yugoslav communists suspended the instructions not to reach the second stage (the revolution) given by the Comintern in June 1941. Because they ignored instructions from Moscow the leadership of CPY could not find a modus vivendi with other resistance movement, the Chetniks of Mihajlović, because they could put in danger communist revolutionary action. That is why Tito rejected Soviet pleas to cooperate with Chetniks and insisted on carrying on with the communist revolution.

Montenegro


In June 1941 the Regional Committee of CPY for Montenegro, Boka and Sandžak issued proclamation inviting people to "final liquidation of capitalist system". Leftist errors policy was pursued in Montenegro since August while its intensity was increased since September 1941. This extremist policy was pursued by the Partisans in Montenegro under the influence of Milovan Đilas and Moše Pijade. After the initial success of the Uprising in Montenegro communists seized control of almost all the territory of Montenegro and began to fight against their class enemies. The substantial percentage of population of Montenegro supported Chetniks because they were afraid of the "red terror". Despite instructions to minimize the revolutionary side of their policies, the leaders of Montenegrin Partisans introduced "soviet elements" in the summer of 1941, during the Uprising in Montenegro because they perceived the uprising as the first stage of the communist revolution.

In the middle of August 1941 Đilas wrote a letter to the Regional Committee of Yugoslav Communist Party for Montenegro, Boka and Sandžak and recommended an isolation and destruction of the "fifth column". He emphasized that tolerance and inactivity of communists toward spies is a crime equal to treason. At the end of August 1941 the Regional Committee issued a directive which follows the recommendations of Đilas and insists on cleansing of the villages from the fifth column. In another directive issued in October the Regional Committee repeated similar instructions insisting on the destruction of those who disturb the mobilization of insurgents even by saying "wait, it's not yet the right moment". Đilas himself wrote how retreating Partisans, who only punished their opponents in July, arbitrarily executed them following the Italian counteroffensive of August 1941.

Before the war most of the people killed by the communists in 1941 were military and administrative officers of former Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During this first year of leftist errors the victims also included women who "flirted" with Italians. According to Professor Jozo Tomasevich, in the period of "left deviation" from about December 1941 to May 1942, the Partisans, especially in Herzegovina and Montenegro, used terror against people who were not collaborating, but were potential class enemies.

The Partisans occupied Kolašin in January and February 1942, and turned against all real and potential opposition, killing about 300 of the population and throwing their mangled corpses into pits they called the "dogs' cemetery". Due to this and other examples of communist terror, the Montenegrin population turned against the Partisans. "A land without Chetniks was suddenly overwhelmed by Chetniks" largerly due to the policy of Left Deviations. Communist executions of notable tribal chieftains in Montenegro caused additional animosity of middle class peasants towards communists. Đurišić soon recaptured Kolašin and held it as a Chetnik bastion until May 1943.

In March 1942 the communists from Nikšić burned villages Ozrinići and Zagarač. According to some sources this was ordered by Đilas and Savo Kovačević In the period between the beginning of the Uprising in Montenegro and middle of 1942, the communists killed between 500 and 624 people in Montenegro, most of them during armed conflict.

Serbia
In September 1941 Partisans in Serbia established the Republic of Užice, a short-lived military mini-state with its administrative center in Užice. At the end of November 1941 Partisans were defeated and had to retreat from Serbia. The policy of leftist errors pursued by Josip Broz Tito substantially contributed to Partisan defeat in the Republic of Užice. Because of the repression of the communists and their intention to carry on with communist revolution the population of Serbia also turned against the uprising and communist insurgents. At the beginning of December 1941 the communists moved from Serbia to Bosnia (nominally NDH) and joined their comrades who had already left Montenegro.

Herzegovina
In January and February 1942 alone, Partisans executed 250 people in Eastern Herzegovina because they were accused of belonging to "fifth column". In Herzegovina alone the total number of civilians murdered by communists in 1941–42 was probably around 500. Because of leftist errors Partisans were chased away from Herzegovina in Summer 1942, not by the Axis forces but by its population.

Consequences
The policy of leftist deviation proved counterproductive. Leftist deviation gave a real meaningful sense to the policy of those nationalists who found a way out of the difficult situation in collaboration with occupying and quisling forces. "Red terror" antagonized most of the peasantry and angered the Soviet Union.

As a result of the communist actions, villagers from Eastern Herzegovina and Montenegro, who were far from being collaborators or kulaks, joined Chetnik forces en masse.

Propaganda
The songs and mottoes were composed to promote the policy of leftist deviations. The verse of one of them was: "Partisans, prepare machine guns, to greet the king and Englishmen" (Партизани, спремите митраљезе да чекамо краља и Енглезе). The Partisan slogan "Death to fascism, freedom to the people" a new greeting "Red Army is with us – the victory is ours!".

Major exponents


The major exponents of this policy included Milovan Đilas, Ivan Milutinović and Boris Kidrič. They were never punished. Instead, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia condemned this policy (ignoring the fact that this policy was formulated by its Central Committee) and punished (by warning them) several local commanders (Petar Drapšin and Miro Popara in Herzegovina and several Montenegrin party leaders). Petar Drapšin was stripped of his rank, removed from all functions in the communist party and its membership. Moša Pijade was also held responsible for the adoption of brutal extremist policy of the CPY.

In November 1941 Tito dismissed Milovan Đilas from the command of Partisan forces in Montenegro because of his mistakes during the uprising, including his "Leftist Errors". Tito emphasized that Đilas made mistakes because he organized a frontal struggle of armies against a much stronger enemy instead of connecting the Partisan struggle with the people's uprising and adopting the partisan methods of resistance. Đilas was appointed as editor of the paper Borba, the Party's main propaganda organ. While Tito repeatedly accused other communist officials from Montenegro for "sectarianism", Edvard Kardelj admitted to Đilas that "grave sectarian errors were made in Serbia in 1941" (under Tito's administration).