I am excited to say today is inspiring First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday. She has done a wonderful job uniting the nation by attending events and meeting groups of people that reflect American values.
I understand some people may question my use of the word “inspiring” when describing Melania Trump, considering the media is obsessed in ridiculing her for her refrained approach to the public light. What I consider to be inspiring about Melania Trump, though, and what tends to never be discussed by mainstream media, is that she is the first first lady to come from a communist country.
Based on my observations, communism tends to not be discussed very often in the social realm of American society, and a striking number of Americans are ignorant on the subject. This is surprising, and disturbing, since communism has proven to be a devastating system that has resulted in millions of deaths, mass migration, mass theft, and mass indoctrination. It can be said that communism is one of the worst failed systems in human history.
To have Melania Trump, a woman who was born and raised in a communist country, as First Lady is stunning. Her affiliation with communism should be discussed much more often.
A brief background on Melania Trump.. She was born in Slovenia (then Yugoslavia) on April 26, 1970. (I will emphasize that she was actually born in Yugoslavia which is NO LONGER a country!). Her father, Viktor Knavs, worked as a manager for a state owned vehicle-manufacturer and her mother, Amalija, worked as a patternmaker for a children’s clothing producer. Her father was a member of the League of Communists of Slovenia, a branch of Yugoslavia’s sole ruling party the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Melania studied architecture and design at the University of Ljubljana for a year. At eighteen years old she signed a contract with a modeling agency in Milan, Italy, and went on to become a recognized model who traveled Europe and eventually moved to New York City in 1996.
Unfortunately, there is very little information about Melania’s childhood in Yugoslavia. All that is mentioned is that one of her goals was to leave the country.
However, we can discuss the history of Yugoslavia to put into perspective the turmoil Melania may have dealt with while living there.
Yugoslavia, like many other Balkan countries, succumbed to communism after World War II. Under the communist system, the people of Yugoslavia were forced to oblige to the rules of the state that masqueraded itself as the “will of the people.” Businesses and properties that were privately owned were ordered to be handed over to the state in order to become public domain. Imagine waking up one morning and being told your business (your livelihood) no longer belongs to you, or that your property is no longer yours, it is now public domain. That is what happened under communism. More horrific events happened under communism, such as the state indoctrinating the youth, controlling all media, and killing people who were considered to be a threat to the system. Learn more about communism here.
The communist party of Yugoslavia even worked directly with Stalin until Yugoslavian President Tito severed ties in 1948. It is noted that Tito wanted to model Yugoslavia on the Soviet Union.
The economy of Yugoslavia hardly prospered under communism as aid was requested from western countries many times. This aid accumulated into unmanageable debt that plagued the country. Yugoslavia’s economy hit a breaking point after President Tito died in 1980. For the next decade Yugoslavia’s economy worsened under communist rule, and after 1989 over 800 firms filed bankruptcy and over 600,000 workers were laid off. The communist party dissolved in 1990 and left the country in so much devastation that the Yugoslav Wars broke out in the 1990s and thousands of Yugoslavians left to seek refuge in other countries.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when discussing the history of communism in Yugoslavia, and a speck of sand when discussing the history of communism as a whole, but it is history that can be discussed when Melania Trump comes up in conversation. The devastation of communism can be noted in an appalling number of countries, such as Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, China, Vietnam, and many more!
Featured photo: Douglas Friedman/’Harper’s Bazaar’
Sources:
“Melania Trump: 17 Things You Might Not Know About the First Lady,” TheWeek.co.uk
“Inside the Small Slovenian Town Where Melania Trump Grew Up Under the Communist Regime,” People.com
“Melania Trump,” Wikipedia.com
“Yogoslavia: 1918-2003,” BBC.com
“League of Communists of Yugoslavia,” Wikipedia.com
“League of Communists of Slovenia,” Wikipedia.com
“Yugoslavia,” Wikipedia.com
“Immigration to Sweden,” Wikipedia.com
Lauren Ell is an American blogger born and raised in Southern California and is currently based in Sweden. She discusses Epilepsy, Politics and Fun. Professionally Ell is an Online Marketing Consultant and Virtual Assistant. She is also founder and president of Republican Atheists. Connect with Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.