1. Ethnic Cleansing in the Former Yugoslavia

2. Background Yugoslavia was formed after WWI and contained six different groups of people; Serbs, Croats, Muslims, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins Ethnic conflict was common in Yugoslavia due to religious and ethnic differences After WWII Yugoslavia became a federation of six republics, each with a mixed population

3. Causes Josip Tito led Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1980 but when he died ethnic conflicts took over Slovenia and Croatia declared independence and after months of fighting the Yugoslav army freed themselves from Serbian rule In February 1992 Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence Bosnia’s population consisted of Muslims, Serbs, and Croats Bosnia’s Muslims and Croats backed independence but Serbs opposed and launched a war in March 1922 supported by Serbia

4. Actions The Serbs used murder and brutal methods against Bosnian Muslims Ethnic cleansing arose and was intended to wipe out the Muslim population in Bosnia By 1995 Serbs controlled 70% of Bosnia In December the leaders of each ethnic group signed a U.S. and UN treaty In September 1996 Bosnia elected a three person presidency, one from each ethnic group Bosnia continues to be a place of unrest today

5. Works Cited Global History Textbook: –Patterns of Interaction Pages 928-929