‘Some Damned Thing in the Balkans’ Remember WWI Origins? Post WWI – Yugoslavia established Serbians dominate government Ethnic and Religious Peoples Serb Orthodox are in Serbia Croatians are Catholic in Crotia Bosnians are Muslim in Bosnia Albanians are Muslim in Kosovo BUT, it’s not that simple…..communities within communities WWII – Germany invades Balkans Croats tend to side with NAZIS in opposition to Serbs Post WWII Marshall Tito, Communist Yugoslav Federation Croatia Montenegro Serbia Slovenia Bosnia-Herzegovina Macedonia

Communist partisan during WWII - fought Nazis Marshall Tito, 1892-1980 Communist partisan during WWII - fought Nazis No allegiance to either USSR or US thru Cold War Stalin demanded Tito fall in line with USSR ‘non-aligned’ movement Kicked out of COMINFORM ‘market socialism’ reliance on debt and deficit economics This would be problematic later…. Suppresses nationalist sentiments, maintains unity authoritarian rule more liberal than other communist states but, still oppressive and a police state Post 1980 Economic collapse Unequal econ. development Burden of debt upon populace Serbs blame Muslim Albanians (Kosovo) Serbs crackdown on other ‘non-Serbians’ kept peace between the ethnic

Yugoslavia – ‘Some Damned Thing in the Balkans’ 1991 – USSR Collapses Yugoslav Federation was falling apart…. At a meeting to determine the future of Yugoslavia, Serb nationalism promoted by Slobodan Milosevic prompts the other regions to declare their independence from Yugoslavia. Nationalism had once again replaced communism as the dominant force in the Balkans. New Nations: Yugoslavia (Serbian) Slovenia Bosnia-Herzegovinia Croatia Macedonia 1992 – MILOSEVIC becomes the leader of Yugoslavia (mostly Serbian). Bosnian Serbs revolt against the Bosnian govt. because they do not want to live under a Muslim-led (Bosnian) govt. Civil War begins. Serbs are fighting against Bosnian Muslims and Croats. Croatians and Bosnians also fought each other. Fighting also occurs between Croats and Serbs in Croatia.

Patterns of Ethnic Settlement Facilitated the Conflict and Break-up Slovene/Catholic 91% Croat/Catholic 3% Serb/E Ortho 2% Croat/Catholic 78% Serb/E Ortho 12% Muslims (43.7%) Croats/Catholic (17.3%) Serbs/E Ortho (31.4 %) Serb/ E Ortho 63% Montenegrin/ E Ortho 6% Albanian/Muslim 14% Hungarian/Catholic 4% Bosnia: 40% of urban couples ethnically mixed Patterns of Ethnic Settlement Facilitated the Conflict and Break-up 66% Macedonian/E Ortho 23% Albanian/Muslim 2% Serb/E Ortho 4% Turk/Muslim

‘Balkanization’ 1992-1995 break-up of Yugoslavia along religious and ethnic lines Civil War(s) Ethnic Cleansing Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity Slobodan Milosevic (Serb Nationalist) purged moderates played upon old fear/animosities segregate populations, redraw national boundaries NATO Srebenica Massacre (‘protected’ by UN) 8 000 Bosnian men and youth ‘executed’ by Serbs NATO launches air strikes…..Russia demand stoppage UN Dayton Accord, 1995 Serb ceasefire Serbs, Croats, Bosnian diplomats agreed to UN sponsored peace…. UN & NATO enforced US/ Brit./ Canadians/ French War Trials at The Hague Milosevic dies in custody, 2006