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Yugoslav socialism
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Rankovićism refers to Yugoslav communist politics of the former Yugoslavia based on the political views of the Serbian communist official Aleksandar Ranković.[1][2] Ranković was a proponent of a centralized Yugoslavia and opposed efforts that promoted decentralization that he deemed to be against the interests of Serb unity.[3] Ranković sought to secure the position of the Serbs in Kosovo and gave them dominance in Kosovo's nomenklatura.[3] Ranković supported a hardline approach against Albanians in Kosovo whom were commonly suspected of pursuing seditious activities.[4] Islam in Kosovo at this time was repressed and both Albanians and Muslim Slavs were encouraged to declare themselves to be Turks and emigrate to Turkey.[4] At the same time Serbs and Montenegrins dominated the government, security forces, and industrial employment in Kosovo.[4] Ranković's power and agenda waned in the 1960s with the rise to power of reformers who sought decentralization and to preserve the right of national self-determination of the peoples of Yugoslavia.[5] In response to his opposition to decentralization, the Yugoslav government removed Ranković from office in 1966 on various claims, including that he was spying on Tito.[3] After the ouster of Ranković in 1966, the agenda of pro-decentralization reformers in Yugoslavia, especially from Slovenia and Croatia succeeded in the late 1960s in attaining substantial decentralization of powers, creating substantial autonomy in Kosovo and Vojvodina, and recognizing a Muslim Yugoslav (now called Bosniak) nationality.[5]
The popularity of Ranković's nationalistic policies in Serbia became apparent at Ranković's funeral in Serbia in 1983 where large numbers of people attended the funeral and many considered Ranković a Serbian "national" leader.[6] Ranković has been perceived as a likely source of the Serb nationalist agenda of Slobodan Milošević.[6]