Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia, Continued Again

A mélange of different ethnic groups existed in Yugoslavia, with citizens who were Serbs, to Croats, Slovenians, Macedonians, and Albanians. The one common attribute that these ethnic groups shared was the language they spoke. The Serbs in Yugoslavia attempted to become the more dominant ethnic group, but this in turn encouraged Croatian and Slovenian nationalism. As a result, in 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia; the result of this, war between Serbia and Croatia. This war waged only very briefly, for the US and UN stepped in, with UN peacekeepers monitoring the cease-fire in Yugoslavia. Notice that only Croatia was involved in the war- that’s right, Slovenia had evaded fighting. In the end though, independence had been gained by both countries, which showed that such a feat could in fact be accomplished. This led Bosnia to also declare their independence, which happened in 1992. Bosnia, in an attempt to purify their country, and with the aid of the Yugoslavian government, initiated a process of ethnic cleansing, involving the ruthless torturing and murdering of Muslims in Bosnia. The United Nations decided to put into effect an arms embargo on Bosnia, in an attempt to stop the fighting. This prevented the Muslims, in control of the Bosnian government at the time, from getting hold of a means of protection against rebellious Serbs in the country. Continued Serbian aggression on Bosnia brought about air strikes on Serbian targets by NATO, in 1995. The two sides (Bosnian Serbs, and the Muslim-led Bosnian government) agreed to participate in peace talks hosted by the US, taking place in Dayton, Ohio. A settlement was reached, and the peace treaty was titled the Dayton Accord. The further presence of foreign troops, many of which were American, was needed for a while after, in order to maintain the peace.
Through the many events in the countries of Serbia and Yugoslavia during the 20th century, a history has unfolded that can be viewed as unique, and distinctive. Through Yugoslavia’s involvement in both world wars, the country can be clearly seen as an ally to the United States, and even as an aide to the American dream. Yugoslavia’s government is currently a republic, although even as a communist government under the control of Marshall Tito, it was in opposition to the Axis powers in World War II, and Russia’s “Iron-Curtain” sweeping across Europe later in the century. According to the historical review provided of the kingdom of what was once Serbia, later Yugoslavia, and currently Serbia Montenegro, it can be seen that this country has been undoubtedly beneficial to not only European, but world history, and the conditions in which America is present today. What if the 800,000 members of the National Liberation Front in World War II had aligned themselves with, rather than against Nazi Germany, giving Germany a boost militarily, and hence causing them to have won World War II? Where would we be today?

Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia, Continued

Yugoslavia maintained peace for a reasonable period of time, until World War II erupted. In early 1941, the German leader Adolf Hitler turned his focus to the Balkans. He attempted to persuade the Yugoslavian government to allow German troops to pass through their country towards Greece. In a derisory two weeks, the Yugoslav army had been flattened by the Germans. Despite this embarrassing loss, the Yugoslavians pursued an effective campaign of guerrilla warfare throughout the duration of the war. In 1944, large numbers of resistance fighters were called up to aid in the battle against German troops. On July 22, 1941, King Peter II in London called for such an uprising of the Yugoslavian people. In response to this declaration, General Draga Mihajlovitch, who at the time was a Serbian appointed as minister of war, organized the first battalions of troops in what became known as the Chetnik movement. The type of warfare incorporated most in Chetnik fighting was guerrilla warfare. This method of fighting proved to be extremely effective during the war, so much so, that the Germans attempted to retaliate by massacring the Serbian village of Kragujevac in October of 1941; 7,000 civilians were shot to death. Another resistance movement was formed in April of 1941 by the Secretary General; at the time, this was Josip Broz- nicknamed “Tito”. This communist inspired movement became known as the National Liberation Front, and it called for its national uprising on July 12, 1941. By the end of the war, this group had over 800,000 members. Direct confrontation between NLF forces and German troops rarely occurred, for most attacks by the NLF were in the form of sabotage, primarily of travel routes, and enemy convoys and communications.

Post World War II conditions in Yugoslavia proved to be much more suitable than those that were in place during the war. These somewhat seemingly decent conditions, however, were hampered by the fact that the Yugoslavian government had become communist directly following World War II. In September 1947, the Soviet government established the Communist Information Bureau, known as Cominform. This organization’s purpose was, basically, to oppose Marshall Plan aid. All that came about of this though, was tension between the communist and noncommunist political parties of Europe. In the spring of 1948, an agreement arose between Stalin and the leader of Yugoslavia, Marshall Tito. Tito proclaimed that although he was a dedicated communist, his country was going to follow an independent route. The reaction from this resulted in the expulsion of Yugoslavia from Cominform. This expulsion led to the growth of Yugoslavia’s independence from the Soviet Union.

Other posts on imperialism and/or Yugoslavia:

What is Imperialism
The Effects of Imperialism on Foreign Lands
British Imperialism: South Africa
Imperialism Simulation
Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia
Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia, Continued

Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia

The history of Yugoslavia is extensive and eventful. Numerous events throughout the history of the country have caused it to develop into its current condition. Despite the fact that Yugoslavia as a nation no longer exists, but rather Serbia and Montenegro claims to be its successor, the focus of the following historical review shall be none other than the major significant events of the country’s existence during the 20th century. Pre-World War I however, Yugoslavia existed with the title of Serbia.

Serbia existed as a nation during the 20th century, but only through the early years of it. The revolts that broke out in numerous Turkish provinces in the Balkans in 1875 led to a war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Upon being defeated, the Turks were forced to sign the Treaty of San Stefano. This treaty, signed in 1878, allowed Romania, Montenegro, and Serbia their independence. Over the next three decades, however, acts of aggression by the Ottoman Empire, including the alteration of national boundaries, resulted in the formation of the Balkan League, consisting of Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia. The League went to war with, and defeated the Ottoman Empire in 1912. This would seem to be a good thing, except for the fact that the Balkan League couldn’t agree on the distribution of the captured Turkish territories. This led to yet another war, although this time the war was with Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, and the remaining parts of the Ottoman Empire, siding against Bulgaria. Bulgaria suffered a quick defeat, and as a result, Serbia was able to come out of the wars with a seaport along the Adriatic Sea.

Imperialism, militarism, alliances, and nationalism were the four main causes of World War I. The nationalism aspect played an extremely large role, in that Russia agreed to back Serbia, and Germany the same with Austria-Hungary. June 28, 1914, the Serbian terrorist, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand, future emperor of Austria-Hungary, and his wife. The result of this was declaration of war of Austria-Hungary on Serbia exactly one month later. Thus, World War I was initiated, and Serbia was held responsible as a whole for the actions of the one Serbian terrorist who began it all. Upon decimation of the Central Powers in 1918, Serbia and the Allies were victorious with copious gains. After the war, Serbia and Montenegro, the former Habsburg provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a section of the Adriatic coast (including the seaport they had received in 1912) decided unanimously to form the new nation of Yugoslavia. This marked the end of Serbia, and the birth of a new kingdom, with more foreseeable potential than could ever have been imagined.

Other posts on imperialism:

Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia, Continued
What is Imperialism
The Effects of Imperialism on Foreign Lands
British Imperialism: South Africa
Imperialism Simulation
Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia