Yugoslavia Dr. Ivan Ribar

[Drugo]

Dr. Ivan Ribar was a Croatian politician, born on 21st January 1881. He was President of the Royal Parliamentary Assembly between 1920-22. When King Aleksander declared a royal dictatorship, he and his party left the Parliament. He defended the communists during the dictatorship, and in 1937 unified his party (the Democratic Left, Demokratska ljevica), with the People's Freedom Front (Narodni front slobode), founded by the at that time illegal Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ).

During the IIWW, he actively fought for the liberation of occupied Yugoslavia, and he had a primal role in the institution of the AVNOJ (Antifa?ističko veće narodnog oslobođenja Jugoslavije), being elected as its President and manteining that role untill 1945.

During the war he lost both of his sons, Jurica Ribar and Ivo Lola Ribar. Ivo Lola was in charge of the League of Young Communists of Yugoslavia (Savez komunističke omladine Jugoslavije), joining the Supreme Command of the Partisans, working with Tito, and becoming, in 1943, the chief of the first Partisan military mission to the Mediterranean Allied Command. He was posthumously proclaimed a People's Hero of Yugoslavia.

After the war, Ivan was the Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly, head of State of Yugoslavia, from 1945 to 1953, succeeded by Tito. He retired from the politics in 1960, and died in Zagreb on 11th June 1968, at the age of 87, as general-major of the JNA.

He was awarded with the Order of the Yugoslav Flag, Order of National Liberation, Order of Brotherhood and Unity, Order of Merit to the Nation, Order of the Partizan Star 1st Class.

Here's in a famous war time picture, Ivan next to a wounded Tito, in 1943:

Here's a signature on the 20th anniversary of the death of his son, Ivo Lola - 1963 (finally, that's why all this topic's for... ):

Regards,

Filip

[Valuk]

Really interesting Filip, where did you find the postcard with his signature?

[Drugo]

Hi Valuk. My uncle, when he was about my age now, used to collect stamps. I found this and other similar cards in a stamp album of his.

Regards,

Filip

[Christian Zulus]

Dear Filip,

extraordinary document .

Dr. Ribar didn't receive the "Order of Freedom" ?

Best regards

Christian

[Drugo]

I don't know anything about it.

Maybe someone else will be able to give you a better answer.

[SasaYU]

As far as I know, recipients of the Order of freedom are:

Marshal Josip Broz Tito

General Ivan Gosnjak

Koca Popovic

Peko Dapcevic

Kosta Nadj, all commanders of the armies of the Jugoslav army in WW II

Foreign recipients:

Marshal Zukov

Leonid Ilich Breznjev