Interfaith Boundaries In Yugoslavia

After the First World War country was united with other Slav territories to form Yugoslavia. At the time, the population of Bosnia consisted of over 1,300,000 Serbs which were Orthodox Catholic Christians, million Muslim Bosnians and around 700,000 of Croats. They all were strong attached to this land by the historical and local claims. After the death of Josip Broz Tito, elections in 1990 brought nationalists to power in Slovenia, Macedonia and Croatia, which declared independence in 1991 and were recognised internationally. The Leader of Bosnia’s, Alija Izetbegovic called for independence too, and the country was recognised as independent by the USA and the EU in 1992. However, Bosnia’s Serbs weren’t happy because they wanted to be part of “Greater Serbia”. a Serbian named Slobodan Milosevic, a former Communist responded to Bosnian’s declaration of independence by attacking and bombarding the capital city, Sarajevo. Serbs shot down civilians in the streets, including over 3,500 children.

As Bosnia pursued the path of its neighbors: Croatia and Slovenia by declaring independence from the former Yugoslavia, which was becoming very unstable and impoverished, the Serbians were determined to stop them, and they did so by beginning a three-year war that would stain the peaceful hills of Bosnia with blood. Yugoslavia, a communist country, which spanned from Slovenia in the north to Macedonia in the south, had been rapidly declining economically. In 1990, Croatia and Slovenia held successful votes for independence from Yugoslavia, and in December of 1991 they were officially declared separate nations. Bosnia declared itself a separate nation on March 3, 1992 after the results of their referendum for independence. About a month later, on April 7, 1992, the United States and the European

On April 6,1992 the Bosnian War began,leading to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Serbian forces invaded Bosnia,throwing many people out of their homes and displacing them throughout the country. The actions of the soldiers traumatized the people of Bosnia in numerous ways, causing peril throughout the country.

It all began with a new president, Slobodan Milosevic (a Serbian who turned to nationalism and religious hatred to gain his power) being elected. He ignited long-standing tensions between the Serbs and the Muslims. When Slovenia and Croatia both declared

Upon the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia crumbling down in 1992, Bosnia Herzegovina entered a period of instability. The country was recognized as it’s own independent country by the main powers, however there were three groups arguing over land rights inside Bosnia. The Croat, Serb, and Bosnian Muslim disputing quickly escalated into something horrendous. The Serbs did not want Bosnia to be it’s own country because some of the Bosnian land encompassed some of Serbia, the Serbs began bombing Bosnian cities and would murder Bosnian citizens in the cities that were in the land the two countries “shared.” The Serbs began encroaching on Bosnian territory, they were led to believe that the Bosnians were the enemy, televised to the Serbs was propaganda claiming that the Bosnian Muslims were an enemy and a threat to Serbia, they were instilled with paranoia ("Combat

The Bosnian Genocide is a genocide that began in April 1992 with the goal to “ethnically cleanse” Bosnian territory. Serbians targeted Bosniaks (Muslim Bosnians) and Croatians civilians and aimed to eliminate them through the use of former Yugoslavian military equipment. Before the genocide began, many different ethnic and religious groups lived under Yugoslavia’s communist regime. Although there was tension, President Josip Broz Tito was able to keep the country together through dictatorship. Tito was considered a “benevolent dictator” and his regime ensured that the country stayed unified. However, when Tito died in 1980, the tension between different ethnic and religious groups increased and eventually led to the Bosnian genocide. Slobodan Milosevic rose to power seven years leader by using nationalism to his advantage. Milosevic favored the Serbs and and made changes to the constitution to show this. Milosevic also formed a military that was 90% Serbian. When Yugoslavia began to collapse in 1991 because of Slovenia and

Yugoslavia survived under Tito as a militarized communist nation with secret police and dissident purges. It was amazing how he maintained peace between so many factions and nationalities. He even accepted loans from the West but leaned toward the USSR. Once Stalin died, Yugoslavia was one of the most liberal Communist countries in Europe.

With a long stemming past of ethnic conflict within Yugoslavia, the country at long last disassembled over what historians would argue was “The bloodiest war in Europe since World War II” (Multi-Ethnic Conflict: Yugoslavia.). Yugoslavia was a country composed of six republics- The socialist republic of Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, and Slovenia. The country was created after world war one in 1929 and was under the control of the Soviet Union up until 1991 when the Soviet Union broke apart. With the fall of the Soviet Union came the inevitable turmoil, violence and destruction within Yugoslavia- the country began to fall apart. Ethnic conflict had been the root of war and violence through out numerous countries all around the world for centuries. The ethnic conflict of Yugoslavia was caused by differences in religion and ethnicity, different perspectives on government and politics, and disagreements over territory. Yugoslavia was just far too small for the different nationalities and government structures within it.

History.com says these countries were forged as one after WW2. But power and leadership was an issue; and in the mid 1980’s Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic began creating differences between the countries. Then In 1991 Slovenia, Croatia, and Macedonia all declared Independence. Then in 1992 Bosnia declared Independence. War broke out in Croatia and Bosnia. The sides were the Bosnian-Croats against the Bosnian-Serbs. With the backing of Serbian leader Milosevic and the Yugoslavian army, the general of the Bosnian-Serbs Ratko Mladic overwhelmed the Bosnian-Croats at Sarajevo(capital of Bosnia)and gained control. Throughout 1992 the Bosnian Serbs would conquer three quarters of Bosnia. Within the land they conquered, Srebrenica suffered the

Yugoslavia was the only Eastern European country which manages to not fall under the Soviet occupation. The main reasons of this fact are that Yugoslavia was not liberated by the Red Army, but from the Yugoslav partisans. This army was led by communists. In 1945 the leader of the Communist Resistance, Josip Broz Tito, took the control of the country. Tito was not a soviet trained Stalinist; instead he was an independent national leader who did not accept to do as the Moscow wish. Tito was one of the most significant causes why Yugoslavia achieved to maintain her independence from the Soviet Union. Firstly, the relations between Moscow and Belgrade seemed good. Yugoslavia also joined the first Cominform in 1947, which it was held in Belgrade.

The countries were in conflict with one another due to religious prejudice towards each other as well as a greed for land and natural resources. The Serbian Government generally had the upper hand due to more funds, better technology and superior weaponry. They held this advantage until they were threatened by International Forces with massive airstrikes. The Serbian Government separated the non-Muslim population from the Muslim population by using false propaganda extensively. As the Serbian General, Ratko Mladic, was quoted as

Schwartz’s journal inspects the argument that was widely considered to be the reason as to why Yugoslavia separated, which was ancient hatreds. However, Schwartz argues that even though there was a history of violence and hatred between the member states of Yugoslavia, the real issue and cause of the bloodshed and dissolution boiled down to the readiness of the majority of the populace to advance with society and its liberalist views. Which was disapproved of and scrutinized by Serbia and Slobodan Milosevic (President of Yugoslavia and Serbia at the time). This difference of beliefs and values was what caused the bloodshed, one group (majority of states) wanted to leave and the other would not let them leave.

He did not encourage students to study outside their republics. This had created a week bond between the countries. Once he died it was obvious that there was going to be a split, Tito might of have held the countries together but did not bring the people of different ethnicities together. If Yugoslavia was not created because of the after math of WWII, but instead created due to people wanting to create a better nation in which communism is a reality everything would be different. When talking about the unification of Yugoslavia mostly

Yugoslavia was a nation in the Balkan region of Europe formed, under a monarchy of King Peter I after the First World War, named the Kingdom Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. This nation holds historic significance due to it being the first union since the Ottoman and Austro Hungarian Empires conquering the region. Yugoslavia first gained international recognition on 13th July 1922 by the Conference of Ambassadors in Paris and was later renamed the “kingdom of Yugoslavia on the 3rd of October 1925.

The Yugoslavian Conflict Yugoslavia is a country burdened by feuding sides in a war that cannot soon be resolved. The United Nations are attempting to help the situation, but until the people of Yugoslavia can come to an agreement continued warfare and heartache is inevitable. The problems in Yugoslavia began because the country is separated into two distinct parts. The north and west parts of the country were once under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the south and the east were controlled by the Ottoman Empire.