History of Yugoslavia Notes
HW: Political Map Quiz
tomorrow!
3 Maps due tomorrow
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae_cTGvxYGI
The Former Yugoslavia
Founded in 1918
Made up of 6 republics united under one flag after breakup of
Austro-Hungarian Empire
The former Yugoslavia is part of the Balkan
Peninsula (the region is more commonly referred
to as the Balkans)
the former Yugoslavia
Historically, the Balkans have been one of the most
volatile places in the world.
This area has
been conquered
by multiple
empires
throughout its
history.
Including:
Roman,
Byzantine,
Ottoman, and
AustroHungarian
The Balkans are one of the most culturally complex regions of the
world because of its ethnic, linguistic (language) and religious
composition.
The Ethnic Composition of the Former Yugoslavia
Reason for ethnic diversity?
Physical geography of the region is very mountainous  isolated
communities developing different cultures
f
former Yugoslavia
Which country would probably have the most ethnic
problems? Why?
Bosnia-Herzegovina;
Because it is the most
ethnically diverse
country in the former
Yugoslavia.
What role did geographic location play in Bosnia’s ethnic
diversity?
What role did geographic location play in Bosnia’s ethnic
diversity?
Several of Bosnia’s
ethnic minority
groups are the same
as the ethnic majority
groups of its
neighboring
countries.
1945
 Nationalism increased after WWII
 Area comes under communist
control and Soviet sphere of
influence
 Communists were able to deal
with national aspirations by
creating a federation of six equal
republics - Croatia, Montenegro,
Serbia, Slovenia, BosniaHerzegovina, and Macedonia.
 Restored economic stability post
WWII
 However, tensions continued to
grow for next 45 years as different
regions develop differently
1992
 U.S.S.R. collapses
 Multiple nations in
Eastern Europe gain
independence
 Nationalism increases in
Yugoslavia
 Republics start to break
away
 Slovenia and Croatia
want independence but
Serbia wants to keep
region intact and control
it politically
1992
 Slovenia and
Macedonia
granted
independence
 Serbian
president =
Slobodan
Milosevic
 Serbs do not
allow Croatian
independence
 Serbian
minority in
Croatia
1992
 Croatia eventually
given
independence
 Bosnia declares
independence
 Serbia does not
recognize Bosnian
independence
 Civil war breaks
out between
B and S
SERBS COMMIT GENOCIDE AGAINST
BOSNIAN CROATS AND MUSLIMS IN ORDER
MAKE BOSNIA MORE “SERBIAN”.
The Serbian policy of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia also resulted in
creating a “refugee” population in neighboring countries.
Refugee- a person who flees his or her country because of a fear of
persecution based on race, ethnicity, religion, ideology, or political
affiliation.
Many non-Serbians living in Bosnia fled to neighboring countries
out of fear of ethnic cleansing by Serbs.
 USA sponsors
peace talks in 1995
 Bosnia granted
independence
 Macedonia granted
independence in
2006
 Former Yugoslavia
is now Slovenia,
Croatia, Bosnia &
Herzegovina,
Serbia, Montenegro,
and Macedonia
The international community placed responsibility for the
ethnic cleansing in Kosovo on Serbian President Milosevic
and as a result he was arrested and charged with “crimes
against humanity”.
For the time being, this
finally brought political
stability to the region.
A new political term has been formed to describe what happened to
the former Yugoslavia at the end of the 20th century:
BALKANIZATION
BALKANIZATION
The process of breaking up a
region/country into smaller, mutually
hostile countries.