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Geography and Demographics

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6 republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovinia, Serbia, ... and Croatia ... Not so Croatia. Serbia, plus Yugoslav National Army (JNA), fight ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Geography and Demographics


1
Geography and Demographics
  • 6 republics Slovenia, Croatia,
    Bosnia-Herzegovinia, Serbia, Montenegro,
    Macedonia
  • 2 autonomous regions in Serbia Vojvodina and
    Kosovo

2
Geography and Demographics
  • Many ethnic groups Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, etc.
  • Serbs largest in country, but not majority
  • Complications boundaries of ethnic groups not
    the same as boundaries of republics!

3
Geography and Demographics
4
Geography and Demographics
5
Ancient History
  • Prior to WWI Area dominated by Austro-Hungarian
    (in NW) and Ottoman (in SE) Empires.
  • No history of fighting, groups not enemies.

6
First Yugoslav State
  • Formed at the end of WWI.
  • Marriage of convenience, entered into willingly
    by all parties.

7
First Yugoslav State
  • BIG challenges
  • Economic
  • Political what would this new state look like?
  • Serbs wanted strong, centralized state to
    protect Serb minority populations in other
    regions.
  • Others wanted decentralized state to protect
    against Serb domination.

8
First Yugoslav State
  • Solution a strong, centralized state
  • Serb preferences won out (this time).
  • Other groups not happy, but try to work together
    to iron out problems.

9
WWII
  • Hitler invades Yugoslavia in 1941
  • Installs puppet regimes in Serbia and Croatia.
  • Croat state (Ustasha) cleanse Croatia of Serbs.
  • Serb paramilitaries (Chetniks) organize and fight
    Ustasha.
  • Horrific fighting, bitter memories. Irony
    Ustasha not popularly chosen.

10
WWII
  • Tito and the Partisans
  • Communists.
  • Integrating force.
  • Fought with Allies
  • Fought civil war against Ustasha and Chetniks
  • Won, took power at close of WWII

11
Titos Yugoslavia
  • Inherited a tough situation
  • Economic devastation
  • Bitter memories of civil war
  • Demographic snake pit what to do about Serbia?

12
Titos Yugoslavia
  • Use the CP as an integrating force.
  • Promote ideology of growth and development.
  • Stomp out nationalism.
  • Rely on personal popularity and charisma.

13
Titos Yugoslavia
  • Give republics autonomy over own affairs, veto
    power over central decisions.
  • Make Vojvodina and Kosovo autonomous regions,
    give them veto power also.
  • Consociationalism keep the power of the largest
    group (Serbs) in check.

14
Titos Yugoslavia
  • Happy Days
  • Country experienced economic growth into the
    1970s.
  • Peace!
  • But costs of stifling alternative political
    voices, vacuum when Tito died.

15
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16
Post-Tito
  • 1980s Economic slowdown
  • CP bureaucrats paralyzed by crisis
  • What was good for one region was bad for another.
  • Regions used veto in Federal Presidency to block
    any policy that hurt them.
  • Stalemate!

17
Post Tito
  • Political crisis also
  • Serbian leaders unhappy about status of Kosovo
    and Vojvodina.
  • Tried to address problem legally, but were
    blocked by veto power of other republics.
  • Deadlock!

18
Moves by Serbia
  • Serb politicians look for way around the
    deadlock appeal to Serb grievances in Kosovo.
  • Serbs a minority in Kosovo (largely for economic
    reasons).
  • Kosovo historical significance to Serbs.
  • Politicians Serbs are being run out of their
    homeland! (exaggerated claim, but effective).

19
Moves by Serbia
  • Enter Slobodan Milosevic
  • 1988 President of Serbia, Ivan Stambolic, sends
    Milosevic to Kosovo to hear out the complaints of
    the Kosovo Serbs
  • Was supposed to stick to CP anti-nationalist line.

20
Moves by Serbia
  • Instead, took the side of the nationalists.
  • Famous words, addressing crowd
  • You will not be beaten again.

21
Moves by Serbia
  • Rallies for Truth
  • Orchestrated by politicians
  • Demanded end of autonomy of Vijvodina and Kosovo
  • Dramatized situation of Serbs in Kosovo
  • Non-Serb leaders continue to refuse to negotiate
    with Milosevic.

22
Moves by Serbia
  • Milosevic topples leaders in Vojvodina, Kosovo,
    and Montenegro, installs men loyal to him.
  • Radical effect on balance of power in Yugoslavia
    Milosevic now controls 4 out of 8 votes in the
    Federal Presidency.

23
Response of Slovenia and Croatia
  • Leaders of Slovenia and Croatia very nervous, set
    about trying to weaken the federal authority of
    Yugoslav state.
  • Slovenia
  • Backed Albanian resistance in Kosovo
  • Refused to allow rally for truth
  • Pulled out of Yugoslav CP

24
Response of Slovenia and Croatia
  • Croatia
  • At first try to broker compromise, preserve
    Yugoslavia
  • Strategy changed abruptly with election of Franjo
    Tudjman in May 1990.

25
Response of Slovenia and Croatia
  • Tudjman and cronies provocative nationalists.
  • Checkerboard flag.
  • Serbs secondary minority status.
  • Talked big about taking Croatia out of
    Yugoslavia.

26
Escalation
  • Serb minority in Croatia scared. Fears played
    up by Serb politicians.
  • Summer 1990 Serbs in Krajina (area of Croatia)
    armed themselves and declared self-rule.
  • Tudjman formed own paramilitaries

27
Escalation
  • June 1991 Slovenia and Croatia declare
    independence.
  • Serbia lets Slovenia go without fight.

28
Escalation
  • Not so Croatia. Serbia, plus Yugoslav National
    Army (JNA), fight to keep it in.
  • Large-scale war erupts in Croatia. Fighting
    spread from there to Bosnia.

29
Implications for Ethnicity Theories
  • Contrary to expectations of Primordialism, war in
    Yugoslavia not the result of ancient hatreds.
    Peace, not conflict, was norm.
  • And yet, the population responded quickly and
    emotionally to the provocations of politicians.
    Ethnicity was a hot button. Hard for
    instrumentalism to explain why.

30
Implications for Conflict Theories
  • Yes, grievances existed. However, they were
    nothing new. Why did they suddenly flower into
    conflict? Societal explanations important, but
    insufficient.

31
Implications for Conflict Theories
  • Politicians played a critical role whipped up
    emotions, initiated conflict.
  • At national level, change in political leadership
    important Tito suppressed nationalism, his
    successors encouraged it.

32
Implications for Conflict Theories
  • But also key the weakness of the Yugoslav state
    after Tito.
  • Communist Party unable to cope with challenges.
  • Veto power of republics gt deadlock.
  • State unable to contain nationalist politicians,
    gave them critical window of opportunity.
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