The League of Socialist Youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina (, abbreviated SSOBiH or SSO BiH) was a youth organization in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SSOBiH traced its roots to the youth resistance movements during World War II, and became the main youth organization in the republic during the Tito era. During the 1980s, SSOBiH became increasingly autonomous from the party line and eventually became a political party of its own. It was succeeded by the Liberal Democratic Party.
Anti-fascist youth movement in Bosnia and Herzegovina during World War II
In the midst the partisan resistance struggle, in December 1941 the Young Communist League of Yugoslavia (SKOJ) took the initiative to start building the Popular Liberation Youth League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Narodnooslobodilačkog saveza omladine Bosne i Hercegovine, abbreviated NOSOBiH), as a mass organization to seeking to unite Muslim, Croat and Serb youth to fight the Axis occupation. NOSOBiH was founded in early 1942, and towards the end of 1942 NOSOBiH became integrated into the United Antifascist Youth League of Yugoslavia (USAOJ). On September 20, 1943 a USAO BiH Regional Conference for the Bosnian Krajina was held at which the USAO BiH Regional Board was elected. The 1st congress of the United Antifascist Youth League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ujedinjenog saveza antifašističke omladine Bosne i Hercegovine, abbreviated USAOBiH) was held in Sarajevo May 5–9, 1945. USAOBiH published Riječ as its organ.
People's Youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina
After the war, USAOBiH transformed into the People's Youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Narodne omladine Bosne i Hercegovine, abbreviated NOBiH). The second congress of NOBiH was held in Sarajevo June 14–17, 1947, with 470 delegates in attendance. The third NOBiH congress was held in 1949, the fourth congress in 1954, the fifth congress in 1957 and the sixth congress in 1962.
Youth League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
NOBiH then transformed into the Youth League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Savez omladine Bosne i Hercegovine, abbreviated SOBiH). A single congress, the seventh of the organization, was held during this period in 1968. SOBiH was the republican branch of the Youth League of Yugoslavia (SOJ). Branko Ekert was elected SOBiH chairman at the 20th plenum of the SOBiH Central Committee, held in October 1967. Arif Smajić was the secretary of the SOBiH Central Committee. The other members of the SOBiH Secretariat were Miomira Gerun, Rada Stanar, Mehmedalija Sarajlić, Mustafa Dulizarević and Ivo Cvitković.
Eight to Tenth congresses
SOBiH then became the League of Socialist Youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SSOBiH). SSOBiH was the republican-level organization of the League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia (SSOJ). SSOBiH was one of the constituent organizations of the Socialist League of Working People of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SSRNBiH).
SSOBiH held its eight congress in 1974, its ninth congress in 1978 and its tenth congress in 1982. The importance of youth volunteering was highlighted at the 1974 eight SSOBiH congress.
Dissidence in the 1980s
SSOBiH held its eleventh congress in 1986. As of 1988 SSOBiH, along with other republican-level branches of SSOJ, became increasingly independent from the Yugoslav mother organization.
In 1989 Rasim Kadić became the president of SSOBiH. SSOBiH, under the leadership of Kadić, accompanied by Martin Raguž and Đorđe Latinović, became a hub of opposition to the party leadership. For example, in 1988 SSOBiH vetoed candidacy of for the presidency of the republic, which led Andrić to withdraw his candidacy. The SSOBiH publication Naši dani would print criticisms of the government, moves that contributed to making it the foremost political newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a fortnightly circulation of up to 100,000 issues. Valter, another SSOBiH publication, was a widely read magazine at the time. SSOBiH also had a popular program on Radio Sarajevo. SSOBiH and the Association for the Yugoslav Democratic Initiative (UJDI) formed the Democratic Forum, which called for integrative non-ethnic citizenship for Bosnia-Herzegovina.