Vera Aceva-Dosta (November 24, 1919 – November 10, 2006) was a

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

, participant in the

World War II in Yugoslavia World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was Invasion of Yugoslavia, invaded and swiftly conquered by Axis powers, Axis forces and partitioned among Nazi Germany, Germany, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), It ...

and a national hero of

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

(SFRY).

Early life and interwar period

Vera Aceva was born in 1919 in the village Oreovec, near

Prilep Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308. Name The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...

. Her brother was

Mirče Acev Mirče Acev (; 20 October 1915 – 4 January 1943) was a Macedonian organizer of the Yugoslav communist resistance in Vardar Macedonia during World War II. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in Kingdom of Yugoslavia. D ...

. Facing a difficult financial situation, Aceva had to cease her education after her second year of gymnasium and to find work, eventually finding employment in the tobacco industry. Aceva joined the labor movement when she was 16 years old and became a member of the

League of Communists of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats ...

in early 1940. In September of the same year, at the provincial conference she was elected as a member of the Regional Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia for Macedonia. From September 1940 to November 1941, she was the Secretary of the Local Committee in

World War II in Yugoslavia

Aceva was one of the first organizers of the Prilep Partisan Detachment. In early 1942 she worked in the League of Communists of Yugoslavia in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

, then as a party instructor in

Strumica Strumica (, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedonian (PDF) in so ...

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

and

Štip Štip ( ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2021 census, the city of Štip had ...

. In August 1943 she became the commissioner of the Shar detachment, and when on 11 November 1943 the First Macedonian-Kosovo Brigade was formed, Aceva was elected deputy political commissar. She was at this position until January 1944 when she became the political secretary of the Third and Fourth District Committee of the

League of Communists of Macedonia The League of Communists of Macedonia (; ''Sojuz na komunistite na Makedonija'', SKM) was the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian branch of the ruling League of Communists of Yugoslavia during the period 1943 – 1990. It was formed on the ...

. In August 1944 she participated in the first session of the

Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia The Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (, ''Antifašističko sobranie za narodno osloboduvanje na Makedonija''; Serbo-Croatian: ''Antifašističko sobranje narodnog oslobođenja Makedonije''; abbr. ASNOM) was the supr ...

, at which she was selected in its

presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

After liberation

In the

1945 Yugoslavian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Democratic Federal Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia on 11 November 1945."Yugoslavia At The Polls", ''The Times'', 12 November 1945 Due to an opposition boycott, the governing People's Front of Yugoslavia, People's Fron ...

, Aceva was elected as a member of the

Constitutional Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

as part of 22 women out a total of 537 deputies. After liberation Aceva performed in more managerial positions. In 1948 she was the

Mayor of the City of Skopje The mayor of Skopje (; ) is the city mayor who is representing North Macedonia's capital city Greater Skopje and all of its municipalities. Also, the mayor's decisions are confirmed or rejected by the City Council of Skopje (; ). The obligations ...

. At the Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in July 1948 she was elected to the Central Committee of the

. In March 1949, during the reconstruction of the

People's Republic of Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

government, she was elected as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. She was then a member of the Federal Executive Council, Member of Parliament in more of the convocations of the

and

SFRY The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. In 1960 Aceva came into conflict with the then-Secretary of the Communist Party of Macedonia

Lazar Koliševski Lazar Koliševski ( ; 12 February 1914 – 6 July 2000) was a Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Communism, communist political leader in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and briefly in th ...

, accusing him of making decisions together with Vidoe Smilevski - Bato outside of the Executive Committee of the

. At the meeting on 18 October 1960 Aleksandar Rankovic came from

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, and stood on the side of Koliševski. Aceva was forced to retreat and moved to work in Belgrade.Крсте Црвенковски, Мирче Томовски „Заробена вистина“, „Култура“, Скопје, 2003, 149-151 стр. In 1991 she published the book ''Letter to Svetozar Vukmanovik - Tempo''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aceva, Vera Macedonian communists Women in World War II Yugoslav communists Macedonian Partisans People from Prilep Mayors of places in Yugoslavia Mayors of Skopje 1919 births 2006 deaths Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero Members of the Central Committee of the 5th Congress of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia Members of the Central Committee of the 6th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Members of the Central Committee of the 7th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia