The basis for this presentation is a BBC slide show The basis for this presentation is a BBC slide show. Additional information was added by Mrs. Reimann.

83% Slovene, 2% Serb, Croat 2%, Bosniak 1% In general: Bosniaks = Muslim Croats = Catholic Serbs = Orthodox Medieval Kingdom of Serbia was defeated at the Battle of Kosovo by the Ottomans in 1389 Slovenia 83% Slovene, 2% Serb, Croat 2%, Bosniak 1% 57% Catholic, 2% Orthodox, 2% Muslim Croatia 90% Croat, 4% Serb, Bosniak less than 1% 86% Catholic, 4% Orthodox, 1% Muslim Montenegro 45% Montenegrin, 2% Serbian, 8% Bosniak 72% Orthodox, 19% Muslim, 3% Catholic Macedonia 64% Macedonian, 25% Albanian, 2% Serb 65% Orthodox, 33% Muslim Serbia 83% Serbian, 2% Bosniak 84% Orthodox, 5% Catholic, 3% Muslim Vojvodina 66% Serbian, 13% Hungarian (24 other ethnicities) 68% Orthodox, 19% Catholics, negligible Muslim Kosovo 92% Albanian, 56% Muslim, 10% Catholic Bosnia-Herzegovina 48% Bosniak, 37% Serb, 14% Croat 40% Muslim, 31% Orthodox, 15% Catholic

The former Yugoslavia was a Communist state created after German occupation in World War II and a bitter civil war. It’s leader was Josip Broz Tito who created a federation of six republics, bringing together Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Albanians, Slovenes and others under a comparatively relaxed communist regime. Thought the country was communist, it allowed its citizens to travel. Tito refused to knuckle under Stalin’s rule. For this, Yugoslavia had cordial relations with the US. Tito was a strongman, he simply did not allow the many ethnic minorities in Yugoslavia to rebel. Tensions between these groups were successfully suppressed from 1945-1980.

Sarajevo Olympics 1984 Before Tito died (in 1980), Sarajevo (the capital of the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina) was selected as the sit for the 1984 Winter Olympics. The Olympics were a success and the city was shown to be a prosperous, multiethnic city.

President of the Republic of Serbia 1989-1997 Slobodan Milosevic President of the Republic of Serbia 1989-1997 (President of “Yugoslavia” 1997-2000) After Tito’s death politicians tried to keep the country together, even attempting to rotate the presidency of Yugoslavia between the republics. But they weren’t very successful. When communism fell in the rest of Europe in 1989, it fell apart in Yugoslavia too. Without the communist party to hold the country together, the republics started to go their own ways. Nationalist politicians didn’t like this. They began crusades to keep Yugoslavia together, but of course each ethnicity wanted to control Yugoslavia. The Serbs were the most nationalistic, their leader, Slobadan Milosevic was agitating with fiery speeches for a country combining all the Serbs. First move was to get rid of the self rule of Kosovo, an area dominated by Albanians but the site of much Serbian culture and heritage.

After Tito's death in 1980, tensions re-emerged After Tito's death in 1980, tensions re-emerged. Calls for more autonomy within Yugoslavia by nationalist groups led in 1991 to declarations of independence in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia all declare independence from Yugoslavia, leaving only Serbia and Montenegro as a “rump state” governed by Milosevic. He is willing to fight back for more land. The Serb-dominated Yugoslav army lashed out, first in Slovenia and then in Croatia. Slovenia was able to defend herself in a 10-day war. The Serbs took over approximately 30% of Croatia, there was a large amount of “ethnic cleansing” Croats and Bosniaks forced to move out fo their homes. Thousands were killed in the conflict in Croatia which was paused in 1992 under a UN-monitored ceasefire.

Within Bosnia-Herzegovina the Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks had lived peacefully together, there was quite a bit of intermarriage. The Serbs and Croats together were more than half the population, but the Muslims were the largest group, they controlled the government. The Serbs, at the time the largest single community in Bosnia, resisted Bosnian independence. They wanted to stay in Yugoslavia – with Serbia. Led by Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, they threatened bloodshed if the country's Muslims and Croats broke away. War came fast.

Serbian army units, withdrawn from Croatia and renamed the Bosnian Serb Army, carved out a huge swathe of Serb-dominated territory. Croatia also attacked B-H in an attempt to get more land. Over a million Bosnian Muslims and Croats were driven from their homes in ethnic cleansing. Serbs suffered too. The capital Sarajevo was besieged and shelled. UN peacekeepers, brought in to quell the fighting, were seen as ineffective.

Srebenica 1995 The massacre in Sebrenica (which had been declared a UN safe zone supposedly guarded by the Dutch) is where Bosnian Serbs killed 8,000 Bosniak men and boys and displaced 25,000-30,000 others. http://srebrenica-genocide.blogspot.com/2007/07/srebrenica-genocide-questions-answers.html

Recovery of bodies in a mass grave at Sebrenica A Muslim man sits beside the coffin of his son among the remains of 534 newly identified victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre who were buried in a cemetery in a town near Sebrenica. Photo: Damir Sagolj

Sarajevo 1992-1996 The siege of Sarajevo was also horrific. 18,000 Serb and Bosnian Serb forces surrounded and shelled the city for almost 4 years, killing 10,000. Snipers hid in burned out buildings and shot at people as they snuck out for food, fuel and medicine. 1,500 children killed by snipers. Apartment buildings at “snipers alley” on the left http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo Bosnian parliament building in flames: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo on the right

While some of the city of Sarajevo has been rebuilt, its population is no longer multiethnic; almost 90 percent of the residents are Bosniaks. Top picture is the rebuilt ice rink with the former soccer field a cemetery. Bottom picture is the medal platform near the ski runs.

International peace efforts failed to end the war, the UN was humiliated and over 100,000 died. The war ended in 1995 after NATO bombed the Bosnian Serbs. Muslim and Croat armies also made gains on the ground. A US-brokered peace (The Dayton Accords) divided Bosnia into two self-governing entities, a Bosnian Serb republic and a Muslim-Croat federation lightly bound by a central government. 1,000 EU peacekeepers still there in 2014.

There is still diversity in Bosnia – but the groups are not as mixed.

In 1998-9, Kosovo attempted to succeed from Serbia. Serbia fought back In 1998-9, Kosovo attempted to succeed from Serbia. Serbia fought back. 250,000 Kosovars ethnically cleansed (forcibly displaced) from the area. NATO began bombing Serbia when Milosovec ignored their warnings to stop fighting in Kosovo. Belgrade and other areas in Serbia were bombed for 78 days. Serbia removed 780,000 more Kosovars. Eventually NATO was able to win. Kosovars returned home. Declared independence in 2008. Serbia is not happy, but can’t do much. Serbs seen this as incredibly historically important land because they lost a battle there in 1389 to the Ottoman Turks. Symbol of Serbian patriotism. They are upset that it is no longer part of Kosovo (though mostly Albanians live there. One theory is that they moved in after the Black Death in the 14th century. Another says they have populated the region simply by having large families.) Serbia ended the conflict beaten, battered and alone. Currently has a westward looking government that is applying for EU membership.

Trials for Crimes Against Humanity at The Hague Slobodan Milosevich was put on trial by the World Court at the Hague for crimes against humanity. He died before his trial finished. Now Radovan Karaczic, leader of the Bosnian Serb militias is on trial at the Hague (World Court). He hid out for 13 years. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/balkans/milosevic_timeline.html