Balkan Strongmen: Dictators and Authoritarian Rulers of Southeast Europe

Authoritarian leaders such as Enver Hoxha, Todor Zhivkov, Josip Broz Tito and Slobodan Milosevic are part of a time-honored tradition of Balkan authoritarian rule that saw the domination of some of the most colorful but also brutal leaders of twentieth century. Among the latter were the wartime Croatian fascist Ante Pavlevic and Nicolae Ceausescu. Royal absolutists from the interwar period – Zog of Albania, Alexander of Yugoslavia and Carol II of Romania – and the Greek military dictators General Metaxas (1930s) and Colonel Papadopoulos (1967-74) are included. Kemal Ataturk’s career is seen to have many links with the Balkans. This book brings the ‘strongmen’ to life, providing insights into their personalities and the forces that brought them to prominence. An enduring question is: has the age of the Balkan ‘strongmen’ truly ended?