I.  The Balkans
“balkanization”
what does this mean?

A.  Yugoslavia 1945-1991
Founded by Marshal Josip Broz Tito (Croat who lead the communist Partisans against the Axis Powers)

Eight ethnic groups:
Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims, Slovenes, Kosovar Albanians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Hungarians

Four main language groups:
Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovenian, Albanian

Three main religions:
Eastern Orthodox (Serbs, Macedonians, Montenegrins)

Catholics (Croatians, Slovenes, Hungarians)

Muslims (Bosnians Muslims, Kosovar Albanians)

B.  Cold War Yugoslavia was a state socialist system but was not aligned with Moscow (broke with Stalin in 1948);

Yugoslavia benefited from Cold War era politics and became the recipient of Western aid.

Tito decentralizing reforms  but political monopoly

Other elements of political repression associated e.g., M-L dogma in media, censorship, etc.

C.  Federalism, yes.  Democracy, no.
Supposed to have a rotating chief executive (rotating among the 6 republics and 2 autonomous provinces);

Never happened during Tito’s life (died in 1980)