Democratization of Eastern Europe
History of the Former Yugoslavia

I. Pre- WWII
1918 Monarchy, federation of south Slavic peoples.

Invaded and occupied by German and Italian forces during WWII.

Yugoslav monarch went into exile.

After WWII Yugoslav Communist, led by Joseph Broz Tito, achieved military and political dominance.

Yugoslavia became a republic in 1945.

II.  Problems w/ethnic diversity

Northern part – Croats and Slovenes – had been governed by Austro-Hungarian Empire. Most economically developed, predominantly Catholic.

Center – Serbs, first Balkan people to free themselves from Turkish rule. Largest ethnic group, most politically experienced, nominally of Eastern Orthodox faith.

South – Bosnians, Montenegrins, Macedonians, Albanians. Last to achieve independence of the Turks, less economically developed.

 
III.  The Tito Factor

Conflict among groups historic and perennial, but subsided in early years of Tito’s leadership.

1980 – Tito’s death, state began to unravel
- No politician to take his place
- Constitutional changes he had made did not work
- Multimember executive became divided and conflict-ridden

1980s – resurgence of interethnic hostility, due to disparity in levels of well-being among different national groups:
- North Croats and Slovenes and some Serbs better off than people in the south
- Many in the south impoverished

IV. Serbian Dominance Post-Titoism

Serbia dominated national Yugoslav institutions, due to its superiority in size, population, military strength, central location.

Slobodan Milosevic
1988 – Milosevic elected president of Serbia.

Aggressive nationalist w/dreams of greater Serbia – wanted to bring Serb minorities in neighboring republics under his control.

Intro’d harsh policies toward Kosovo, province where the local Albanian population outnumbered Serbs 9 to 1.

V.  Kosovo
Kosovo’s Albanians had much in common w/independent Albanian state:
- political conservatism
- economic backwardness
- cultural parochialism

1988, 1989 – new outbreaks of ethnic conflict between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo, because of
- depressed standard of living
- campaign by Albanian majority to harass Serb residents by acts of terrorism
-
Milosevic’s reaction:
- encouraged pro-Serb, anti-Albanian rallies throughout Serbia
- supported change in Constitution to increase authority over Kosovo and Vojvodina
- replaced local political leaders in Kosovo and Serbia who opposed his policies

March 1989 – explosion of popular wrath.
Tens of thousands of Albanians participated in antigov’t demonstrations in Pristina, capital of Kosovo.

Albanian rampage against Serbs – murder, rape, theft, wanton vandalism.

Increased popularity of Milosevic’s calls for reform.

 
VI. The End of Yugoslavia

By Summer 1989 – Milosevic had become most powerful republic-level politician in Yugoslavia.

At the same time, there was a general weakening of Communist Rule and National Unity

1989, 1990 – collapse of Communist party rule in Central/Eastern Europe, Lithuania’s movement toward independence from Soviet Union.

Restiveness in Croatia and Slovenia – much internal pressure for liberalization and independence.
Slovenia:
- eager to abandon communism, achieve sovereignty, strengthen ties w/Western Europe
- complained their wealth was being drained by impoverished southern Yugoslavia
- resented loss of 11% of total earnings to central gov’t of Belgrade.

Slovenia and Croatia Move toward Independence

April 1990 – republic-level presidential and parliamentary elections.

Slovenia:
- voters and politicians comparing themselves to Lithuanians.
- Slovenian Communist Party defeated in parliamentary elections, despite reformist orientation. Clear sign of hostility to Communist rule.
 
Croatia:
- eager for democratization and increased autonomy
- obstacle to autonomy: 600,000 Serbs in southern part of Croatia
- leaders if Serb minority demanded cultural, political, territorial autonomy

April 1990 - elections showed increased Croatian nationalism.

July 1990 – Croat declaration of sovereignty
Serb minority feared that if Yugoslavia became a confederation Croats would try to obliterate Serb cultural distinctions for sake of unity.

New Croatian gov’t firmly rejected any kind of administrative autonomy for Serb minorities in Slovonia and Krajinia.

Called Serb demand for a referendum on administrative autonomy unconstitutional.

Zagreb leadership accused Milosevic of stirring up Serb population in Croatia.

August 1990 – referendum, 99% of Serb voters endorsed political autonomy of Zagreb.

October 1, 1990 – Serb National Council (local political party speaking for Serbs living in Croatia) declared the territory  inhabited predominantly by Serbs autonomous of Croat republican gov’t.

Extreme Serb nationalists formed paramilitary organizations.
Croat gov’t sent police to Serb-inhabited areas.

December 23, 1990 – Slovenia held a plebiscite. 88% of voters opted for Slovenian independence and sovereignty.

Serbia opposes Slovenian and Croatian Independence

Yugoslav federal forces could not prevail against united Slovenian republic.

Croatia -
Milosevic fighting to preserve old Yugoslav union and Communist rule.     
 

 Bosnian War  
    EU
    NATO
    UNPROFOR

War Crimes Tribunal
    conviction of Milosevic
    Karadzic, Mladic at large

    international law ramifications
    rape as a crime of genocide