After World War II, Yugoslavia became a communist country. Large parts of the town were destroyed to try to make room for new buildings, including most of the town center. This included a lot of buildings that had been built by the Ottomans. Pristina got a lot of money from the Yugoslav government because it was the capital of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, so it developed quickly. The University of Pristina was founded, lots of high-rise apartment blocks were built, and a new industrial zone near the city attracted a lot of people from other parts of Kosovo. Pristina's population increased very quickly, from 69,514 in 1971 to 109,208 in 1981. But this period of quick growth was soon ended by an economic and social crisis. After Tito died, the many different ethnic groups in Yugoslavia started having troubles with each other. This included the Serbs and Albanians.