Svetozar Vukmanović

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Svetozar Vukmanović" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Svetozar Vukmanović - Tempo (

Early life

Born to Nikola Vukmanović and Marija Pejović in the village of

Svetozar completed primary school in his village with excellent grades, before going to Cetinje, like his brothers previously, for gymnasium studies. He did this against the wishes of his father who wanted at least one male to stay with the family at the village. His first exposure to communist ideas occurred in 1927 when his oldest brother Đuro (who studied philosophy in Paris where he became a member of the French Communist Party (PCF) and even spent time in prison in Italy over communist activity) came back to the village in poor health and soon died. Impressed with what he heard, young Svetozar became a communist and along with his first cousin Branko Vukmanović started reading Marxist and Soviet literature.

After graduating from the Gymnasium in 1931, he moved to Belgrade with his first cousin to study at the University of Belgrade's Law School.^[1]

Student days

Although a communist for a few years already, Svetozar was not a member of the

As a student in 1933, he organized strikes and demonstrations. He graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School in 1935.

He was nicknamed Tempo because of his urging people to hurry.

After publishing his memoirs in the 1980s, Tempo came back into the public spotlight by providing vocals for the rock band

Tempo died in late 2000 in his seacoast villa in Reževići. Before his death, he explicitly requested to be buried next to his brother Luka in their home village Podgora.

Execution of his brother Luka

This section may lend create a more balanced presentation. Discuss and resolve this issue before removing this message. (February 2018)

Svetozar Vukmanović's own brother Luka Vukmanović was a

The convoy was intercepted by troops commanded by communist general from Montenegro Peko Dapčević (incidentally, also from a priest family as his father Jovan Dapčević was a deacon). According to some accounts, this happened near Zidani Most in Slovenia, and according to others it took place in Austria. Wherever it was, most of the people in the convoy were executed on the spot and buried in various unmarked graves.^{[5][unreliable source?]}

This is when Tempo was reportedly^{[according to whom?]} informed about Luka's capture and asked to decide on what should happen to his brother. His reported answer was: "The same as what happens to others".^{[5][unreliable source?]} Luka's young son Čedomir, who managed to survive the bloody ordeal was later effectively raised by his uncle Tempo who took care of his nephew's living arrangements and education in Belgrade.

Before the mass executions began, Metropolitan Joanikije, as the most prominent member of the clergy was separated from the group and transported to Aranđelovac vicinity in Serbia where he was imprisoned, and eventually executed.

In 1971, Tempo wrote a book entitled Revolucija koja teče (An Ongoing Revolution) in which he wrote the following about his brother: "I didn't want to talk to my mother about Luka. She didn't dare mention him in front of me. She once tried to say that he wasn't with the occupiers, but I interrupted her sternly and told her not to mention him anymore in my presence if she wants to see me in her house ever again. She never mentioned him again."

Since then, towards the end of his life, and especially after the collapse of communism, Tempo defended himself in some interviews by saying he was never informed about his brother's capture.^{[5][unreliable source?]}

Luka's son Čedomir Vukmanović said he believes that his uncle Tempo found out about what happened to Luka few days after he was executed. In June 2005, as he was getting ready to go to Slovenia to commemorate 60 years since the mass execution, Čedomir Vukmanović gave an interview for Belgrade daily

• Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
• Titoism
• Vukmanović was a contributor for the 1992 Radio Television of Serbia documentary series entitled Yugoslavia in War 1941–1945.

References