The Fall of Yugoslavia
Prelude to the Bosnian War
• In 1918 Yugoslavia was formed as a kingdom. The kingdom included
what are now the independent countries of Croatia, Slovenia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia.
• In the late 1930s, Nazi Germany and fascist Italy began pressuring
Croatia to side with the Axis powers. The Axis powers promised
Croatia help in declaring independence from Yugoslavia and
encouraged Croatia to initiate genocide on Serbs living in Croatia.
Regrettably, Croatia went along with the Axis powers' suggestions.
Think of it this way...
• Imagine there is another a World War and the United States is
fighting its enemy. The opposing side then starts to entice Texas
to support their side. In exchange, the enemy powers promise
to help Texas gain independence from the USA, but first, Texas
must agree to implement a plan to kill all the people from
Louisiana that happen to be living in Texas. The situation in
Croatia was something like that.
• But what did the Croats (people from Croatia) have against the
Serbs?
Things to consider...
The primary difference between the Croats and the Serbs is their
religion. Most Croatians and Slovenians are Catholic, while most
Serbs are Eastern (sometimes called Greek) Orthodox. Much of the
circumstance behind this difference is historical and geographical.
Croatia and Slovenia are quite close to Italy which explains the
affiliation with the Vatican and Roman Catholicism. Serbia
however, held greater historic and geographic ties to Greece. Many
of the disputes between Catholics and Orthodox are long-founded,
stemming from disputes that happened hundreds of years ago.
What's the big difference between the two?
1. Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox believers both
believe in the same God.
2. Roman Catholics deem the Pope as infallible, while
Greek Orthodox believers don’t.
3. Roman Catholics believe that Mary is free from
original sin, while Greek Orthodox believers don’t.
4. Roman Catholic priests cannot marry, while priests in
the Greek Orthodox can marry before they are
ordinated.
5. Latin is the main language used during Roman
Catholic services, while Greek Orthodox churches use
native languages.
6. Roman Catholics venerate statues as much as Greek
Orthodox believers venerate icons.
7. Doctrines can be changed in Roman Catholicism, as
opposed to Greek Orthodox.
8. Unlike Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox believers
do not accept the concepts of purgatory and Stations of
the Cross.
While there are some clear differences between the two
religions, it should be noted that there are also many
similarities. Fundamentally, they are both Christian yet differ
in how they interpret the powers of the church.
The other religious players in the scenario are the Muslims,
who mostly reside in Bosnia (also called Bosniaks) and
historically converted to Islam when the Ottoman Empire
invaded the region in the second part of the fifteenth
century. Still, there is a lot of hostility over the invasion and
Muslims are often blamed for historical events that happened
over 600 years ago.
Back to our story...
When Nazi Germany and fascist Italy invaded Croatia, the
Yugoslav kingdom fought back. The Royalists (also called
Chetniks) and the Partisans (Communists) each had armies that
pushed back against the invasion. In the big picture, the
Chetniks ultimately wanted a more ethnically pure Serbia,
while the Partisans wanted to see communistic, social reform.
In the end, under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito, it was the
Partisans that effectively defeated the Axis powers. And so, in
1945 Yugoslavia shifted from a kingdom to the Socialist
Federation Republic of Yugoslavia, with Tito as its leader.
Yugoslavia under Tito's leadership
Though he was a dictator who used propaganda and
harsh measures to ensure his authority, Tito effectively
maintained Yugoslavia by emphasizing brotherhood and
unity, no matter if you were Croat, Serbian, or Bosnian
(Catholic, Orthodox, or Muslim). He also managed to
develop ties with both the East and the West, receiving
monetary aid from both, which subsequently allowed for
a more liberal form of socialism compared to the Soviet
Union.
Tito's Death
When Tito died in 1980, the sense of Yugoslavian unity
began to fall apart and the economy weakened. The
presidency decentralized, meaning that although there
was "one" Yugoslavian president, the position was only
symbolic. Meanwhile, each of the six republics, Croatia,
Slovenia (both richer republics with more ties to Europe),
Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, and Bosnia, also elected
their own presidents, creating the Congress League of
Communism of Yugolsavia. Attempts to rule the country as
a collective of presidents led to a lot of disputes.
Economic Influences
As the presidents continued to dispute, the economy continued
to worsen. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) loaned money
to Yugoslavia but with certain conditions that Yugoslavia had to
make various reforms. This is common practice for the IMF
which is largely sponsored by Western countries. The reforms
required by the IMF often favor the Western countries but not
necessarily the country that is borrowing the money. In the case
of Yugoslavia, the reforms further weakened the economy
which caused the people to lose faith in the ruling Yugoslavia
Communist Party.
Rise of Nationalism
With so many people losing faith in the dominant Communist
Party, a rash of nationalism arose. The six republics (and two
autonomous regions of Serbia, also with their own
representatives in the Congress League of Communism) began
to focus on their own needs and interests, and movements
arose for the republics to break away from Yugoslavia and
become their own independent nations. Serbia, the largest
and most populous republic, under the leadership of Slobodan
Milosevic, pushed for Yugoslav unity, but other republics had
their own ideas.
Secession
On June 25, 1991 Slovenia declared independence. The Yugoslav Army,
with the support of Serbia and its President Milosovic, sent forces to
quell the Slovenians. Croatia however, would not let the army pass
through its territory in order to get to Slovenia. Croatia followed suit
and also declared independence. The fighting – known as the Ten Day
War – ultimately ended with both countries achieving independence.
On September 1, 1991 Macedonia successfully gained independence
without incident. In May 1992, Bosnia declared independence from
Yugoslavia, but Serbia wanting to declare parts of Bosnia for
themselves, would not hear of it. Likewise, Croatia wanted to annex
parts of Bosnia for itself. And so, the Bosnian War began.