The Communist Party of Yugoslavia was a political party founded in 1919 that played a significant role in the country's history. It aimed to establish a socialist state and was instrumental in the resistance against Axis powers during World War II. After the war, the party became the ruling entity in the newly formed Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Under the leadership of figures like Josip Broz Tito, the party promoted a unique form of socialism that emphasized self-management and non-alignment in international politics. The party maintained power until the early 1990s, when rising nationalism and political changes led to its decline and the eventual breakup of Yugoslavia.