On this day in 1985 saw socialist Yugoslavia’s last ever military parade take place.
Until the late 1960s, socialist Yugoslavia would have the miltary and civilians parading together as part of May Day celebrations. Starting from the 25th anniversary in 1970, Yugoslavia scheduled grand military parades in the capital Belgrade every five years on 9 May to mark Victory Day. The concept was not only to commemorate victory in WWII but also to showcase the country's military hardware and economic potential.
However, the military parade planned for 9 May 1980 was cancelled on account that Tito had died five days prior and his grand funeral occurring the day before. Replacing the parade was a solemn procession from the Yugoslav Federal Assembly to Tito’s final resting place at the House of Flowers.
The military parade returned in 1985 for the 40th anniversary of the victory over fascism. This event was supposed to signify Yugoslavia’s comeback after years of economic crisis. However, no-one at the time anticipated that this would be the final military parade socialist Yugoslavia ever holds.
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