The Yugoslav Civil War: A Modern War Already Forgotten
/Young readers may not be aware there ever was a country called Yugoslavia, a federation of six Balkan republics that formed in the aftermath of World War I. This modern nation dissolved at the turn of the Millenium in a series of war characterized by human rights violations and lasting tension. The Wars of Yugoslav Secession influence Balkan politics to this day, and some of their actors are still being prosecuted in The Hague. So, let us ourselves, what led to these wars? What happened before the Yugoslav Civil War?
Titoism
After the second World War, Yugoslavia fell into Russia’s side of the Iron Curtain; the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia was established under Josip Broz Tito. Though his regime was communist, Tito would split with Stalin in 1948 and pursue a more non-aligned path.
Tito’s model, Titoism, emphasized a decentralized economic and political system, but suppressed nationalist sentiments. A delicate balance of power was established through a complex system of rotation and representation, ensuring no single group dominated federal institutions. But the system didn’t work on its own; it was largely dependent on Tito’s personal authority and charisma.
Titoism also brought about reforms encouraging workers to self-manage, and constitutional reforms that granted more independence to the member states. Both of these causes economic hardships and imbalances.
The delicate house of cards Tito built would collapse quickly after his death in 1980.
Historical Ethnic Tensions
Yugoslavia encompassed many different ethnic groups. Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians, and many others lived in this country. But the people of the Balkans had been fighting one another for centuries before that.
Prior to the 20th century, the region was split between the Ottoman Empire in the south and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the north. Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Bosnians fought Catholic Croats and Slovenes as their respective masters waged war on each other. Their religious differences and the policies of their parent empires contributed to the development of unique ethnic identities.
Tension between these diverse groups persisted after the creation of Yugoslavia, hindering the country. This would eventually lead the State of Croatia to side with Nazi Germany in World War II against Serbia, creating lasting scars.
Though Tito suppressed these historical grievances, they didn’t heal during his regime. Rather, they festered. When he died, leaders like Slobodan Milošević in Serbian brought these grievances back to the surface. Past injustices were revived and exploited for political gain, ultimately destabilizing the federation.
International Influence
At the time, Yugoslavia was not the only country experiencing a change of regimes. All over Eastern Europe, Communism was failing and collapsing. Combined with the earlier death of Tito, the people of Yugoslavia were losing faith in the Federal People’s Republic. They would turn towards nationalism and their ethnic identities to guide them instead.
Once Slovenia and Croatia declared independence, the European Community (now the European Union) were quick to recognize their independence. This recognition was quickly followed by U.S. recognition. Effectively, the dissolution of Yugoslavia was legitimized by the international community.
The intent was to stabilize the situation, but it had the opposite effect. The conflict instead accelerated, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, leading to brutal war. Peacekeeping responses were hesitant, uncoordinated, and often proved ineffective and limited in mandate.
A Series of War
Ultimately, a decade of civil war, from March 1991 to November 2001, would see over 130’000 dead and 4 millions displaced. The results of these conflicts are still being contested to this day: Serbian still does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, for example.
Despite the gross human rights violations that were endemic in this conflict, this was “just” a civil war. Its relevance to western audiences was always limited; Yugoslavia never really achieved the greatness and cultural presence it aspired to. After the turn of the Millenium, a rapid succession of global events overshadowed the conflict, and shifted the focus from Communism to Terrorism, leaving Yugoslavia lost in the dust.
Hi, I’m David, and I write principaly Fantasy and Science-Fiction. I’ve been crafting fictional worlds for fifteen years, which is what interested me in studying history in the first place. I believe history is a great tool, not only to learn about our world directly, but to craft better universes. The lead-up to wars is often just as interesting as the wars itself, and the leaders stand out just as much as the notable events.
