Josip Broz Tito was a remarkable figure in the history of Communism, the Second World War, the Balkans and post-war Eastern Europe. He was the only European besides Lenin to lead a successful Communist revolution and became one of the most renowned Communist leaders of all time. For a certain generation, he was remembered as someone who stood up to both Hitler and Stalin - and won. Tito was above all else a communist, and was devoted to the communist cause until the day he died. What made him different from other communist leaders was that his early experience of Soviet Russia had given him sufficient knowledge of the Soviet experiment to be wary of its spell. In this, the first post-communist biography of Tito, the acclaimed historian Geoffrey Swain paints a new picture of this famous figure, focusing primarily on his Communist years. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in Communist and Eastern European history.

Geoffrey Swain holds the Alec Nove Chair in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow. He has written extensively on the history of Russia and Eastern Europe in the twentieth century. His mostrecent publications include: 'Between Stalin and Hitler: Class War and Race War on the Dvina'; 'Trotsky'; and, with Nigel Swain, 'Eastern Europe since 1945'.