The Young Broz 7
Slovenian counterpart, no one took particular note of his cleverness, and so
his education was not provided for. He wound up finishing only four years of
primary school and two years at a mediocre secondary school for apprentices.
Far from taking him under his wing, his local parson, a known drunkard, ver-
bally and physically abused him when, at age twelve, he assisted the priest with
his vestments for mass. Young Joža (the familiar version of Josip) never forgot
this abuse, as he would later say, “Although I continued to go to Mass on Sun-
days because Mother wanted me to, I think I was through with the Church
from then on.”^2
Josip grew up in appalling living conditions, although it was the norm for
his time, place, and social status. His father owned just eight hectares of land,
which was insufficient for the survival of the family. For this reason, Joža was
sent early in his childhood to live for a number of years with his Slovene grand-
father, who was a bit better off.^3 Joža’s memories of his parental home were
dark indeed. The house was shared with relatives, in addition to his many sib-
lings, despite the fact that the home consisted of only two rooms, plus a com-
mon kitchen. Once, lying sick against the earthenware stove, the home’s only
source of heat, Joža overheard a neighbor predict to his mother that he would
not live long. None of the children in the family had shoes, but they had to go
outside, even in winter. They developed a trick: step into cow dung, which
warmed up the feet and doubled as a temporary pair of winter shoes. The chil-
dren were often hungry and undernourished. Joža used to ask his mother for an
extra slice of bread when a friend of hers was visiting, knowing that she would
likely feel obliged to give it to him in the presence of a guest. She did, but
afterward she scolded him for having pulled such a trick and wept.^4
Coming from a family “blessed” with fifteen children, eight of whom died
at a tender age, he was obliged to start working to help support the family as
soon as he reached puberty. His father, Franc, whom Tito described as being
“black as a devil,” was a heavy drinker who wound up selling the meager lands
he owned and not for a wise investment. Tito had less than fond memories of
him, and likewise of the peasants of his native region. “If they disagree with
you,” he used to say later, “they stay apart, with their hat brims pulled down on
their foreheads and their hands in their pockets. They are passive and not very
bright.”^5 Despite this, he was fascinated by stories of the peasant uprisings
that frequently broke out and ravaged the region during the second half of the
sixteenth century. Likewise, he was captivated by the tragic death of Matija
Gubec, the leader of one of these uprisings, who was crowned in Zagreb in
1573—but with a red hot iron ring. Later, Tito would even hang a large painting
by Krsto Hegedušić on the wall of his study that depicted the rebel peasants at
the Battle of Stubica, where they were finally defeated.^6