The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a major geopolitical event that occurred as a result of the growth of internal social contradictions and the isolation of different parts of the empire. World War I, crop failure in 1918 and the economic crisis ... ... Wikipedia
The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a major political event that occurred as a result of the growth of internal social contradictions and the balkanization of the empire. The First World War, crop failure in 1918 and the economic crisis gave rise to ... ... Wikipedia
Declaration of Independence: July 2, 1990 Republic of the Illyriad June 25, 1991 Slovenia June 25, 1991 Croatia September 8 ... Wikipedia
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The following is a list of people accused by the ICTY (The Hague Tribunal) of war crimes: This list consists of 155 indicted by the ICTY. Contents 1 Republic of Serbian Krajina 2 Serbs ... Wikipedia
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Books
- Gloom, Vulin A.. The story "Gloom" by the famous Serbian politician Alexander Vulin is an example of an acute social work, in which history is considered through the prism of simple human destinies ...
- Gloom (ed. 2016), Vulin A.. The story `Gloom` by the famous Serbian politician Alexander Vulin is an example of an acutely social work in which history is considered through the prism of simple human destinies ...
One of the important crises of the last century was the collapse of Yugoslavia. Despite the fact that now there are no special claims on the part of this state, the crisis played a major role in the foreign policy situation that continues to this day.
Let's try to figure it out: what are the reasons for this event, how did it develop, the main positions of the participants in the crisis, how did the world map change after this "war"?
How many countries was Yugoslavia divided into? How did American intervention affect this process?
List of countries of the former Yugoslavia and their capitals
Yugoslavia (the current capital of the country - Belgrade) was part of the Soviet Union as one of the republics - the SFRY.
Information about its member states and their capitals, about areas and population is displayed in the table:
In addition, this territory was inhabited by people of different nationalities. The vast majority were Serbs. In addition to them, Croats, Albanians, Montenegrins, Macedonians and Slovenes were present in the population.
Reasons for the collapse of Yugoslavia
Why did the Balkan crisis occur?
The main factors identified by historians:
- death of the first president (former leader) Tito;
- the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent "wear and tear" of the socialist system;
- flourishing nationalism throughout the world.
As another prerequisite for the split, many scientists attribute the wrong internal policy of a multinational state. According to the constitution of Yugoslavia, at that time the authorities of the republics could create groups within their "possessions".
The beginning of the collapse
This story began at the same time as the collapse of the USSR, in 1991. The date of complete collapse is considered to be 2006. What happened?
A civil war began, during which 4 sovereign parts separated from Yugoslavia. Only Serbia and Montenegro remained, the rest became independent states.
post-war period
It would seem that there should be an end to the conflict, the division of countries to come to naught. However, hostilities broke out due to an external factor.
Under the influence of NATO, major bloody military dramas took place in Serbia and Croatia, in which more than 2 million people were injured. And only after the agreement signed in 1995, the society recognized the withdrawal of 4 republics from Yugoslavia.
Despite all UN peacekeeping actions, at the end of the 20th century, extremist uprisings of Albanians broke out, which resulted in the death of another 0.5 million people.
The "Kosovo crisis" still remains an unresolved problem of the early 21st century.
Division of territory in the late 20th century
By the end of the 20th century, Yugoslavia was divided into 5 countries. But the financial division of property dragged on for quite a long period of time.
It was not until 2004 that an agreement was reached that specified the countries and the amounts assigned to them. Moreover, a large amount went to Serbia (about 39% of total assets).
Many of our domestic historians believe that such a division is unfair, because the USSR had huge debts to foreign branches of Yugoslav companies. Therefore, in 2006 the Russian Federation paid this amount.
Map of Yugoslavia: before and after the collapse
The first picture shows a map of Yugoslavia before it was divided into separate independent states.
The second picture shows a map of Yugoslavia with new states.
What countries did the country split into
Five states into which Yugoslavia broke up by 2003:
- Croatia;
- Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Slovenia;
- Macedonia;
- FRY (successor of the former multinational state):
- Slovenia;
- Montenegro.
Yugoslavia was finally divided when Montenegro left the FRY in June 2006.
American intervention
From the very beginning of the Balkan crisis, America actively intervened in this process. Her policy was aimed at using force (on Serbia) and supporting 2 opposition parties. This led to the impossibility of peaceful regulation of the conflict.
In 1995, with the support of NATO, hostilities were unleashed in Serbia and Croatia, during which more than 1 million people were killed and about 2 million people were injured.
At the end of the same year, on the initiative of American diplomats, an agreement was signed on the withdrawal of 4 countries from Yugoslavia and the cessation of hostilities throughout the territory of the former multinational state.
At the end of the 20th century, America played an important role in the "fight against extremists", inflicting huge damage with its numerous raids, which prompted the withdrawal of Montenegro from the FRY.
Of particular importance was NATO's intervention in the Kosovo crisis. To this day, this conflict remains unresolved.
Conclusion
Despite the difficult geopolitical situation, Russia is now conducting a diplomatic policy with the countries of the former Yugoslavia. In addition, technological progress is planned in almost all spheres of life in these independent states.
The largest South Slavic state of Yugoslavia ceased to exist in the 90s of the last century. Now at school, when studying new history, children are told about which countries Yugoslavia broke up into. `
Each of them today carries its own culture and history, one of the important pages of which is entry into the once flourishing great power, which is part of the powerful Socialist camp, with which the whole world reckoned.
The year of birth of the European state, located on the Balkan Peninsula, is 1918. Initially, it was called in the abbreviated version of KSHS, which in turn means the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The prerequisite for the formation of a new territorial unit was the collapse of Austria-Hungary. The new power united 7 small territories:
- Bosnia.
- Herzegovina.
- Dalmatia.
The political situation in the hastily created country could hardly be called stable. In 1929 there was a coup d'état. As a result of this event, the KSHS changed its long name and became known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (KJ).
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia-state on the Balkan Peninsula in 1945.
The new name remained until 1963, when the territory was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic (SFRY). Federalism underlay the building of socialism in a state that united 7 compact socialist republics. They remained in this composition as long as their powerful brother, the Soviet Union, existed. After its collapse, the situation in the country began to change radically.
Disintegration of Socialist Yugoslavia. Prerequisites
It is difficult to say whether the peoples united by common territories managed to live in harmony. Perhaps the reason for peaceful coexistence was the control of the ubiquitous USSR. Five or six ethnic groups throughout the Soviet period found a common language and gradually mixed up, borrowing traditions, culture and other features of the national mentality from their neighbors.
It cannot be said that there were no disagreements at all. Small conflicts broke out from time to time. None of them led to serious consequences. Many grievances were associated with the slow development of the state, whose government did not have economic and political experience.
Beginning of disagreement
Attention is not often focused on this, but the beginning of disagreements between the previously united peoples was laid back in the period of the Great Patriotic War. The Fascist leadership adhered to a dishonest leadership principle based on the ancient Roman dogma of "divide and conquer".
Emphasis was placed on national differences, which was successful. Croats, for example, supported the Nazis. Their compatriots had to wage war not only with the invaders, but also with their countrymen who helped them.
During the war, the country was divided into pieces. Montenegro, Serbia, the Croatian state appeared. Another part of the territories fell under the annexation of the Third Reich, and the fascist. It was during this period that cases of brutal genocide were noted, which could not but affect the subsequent relations of peoples already in peacetime.
Post-war history
The torn parts of the state after the victory were reunited. The previous list of participants has been restored. All the same 7 ethnic territories became part of Yugoslavia.
Inside the country, her new government drew the borders in such a way that there was no correspondence with the ethnic distribution of peoples. This was done in the hope of avoiding controversy, which was easy to predict after what happened during the war.
The policy pursued by the government of Yugoslavia has yielded positive results. On the territory of the state, in fact, relative order reigned. But it was precisely this division undertaken after the war with the Nazis that later played a cruel joke and partially influenced the subsequent collapse of a large state unit.
Josip Broz Tito-Yugoslav revolutionary and politician
After the collapse of the USSR, a series of falls of socialist regimes began all over the world. At this time, Yugoslavia was gripped by the deepest economic crisis. Nationalist parties dominated the entire territory, each led an unfair policy towards recent brothers. So in Croatia, where a large number of Serbs lived, the Serbian language was banned. The leaders of the nationalist movement began to persecute Serbian cultural figures. It was a challenge that could not but lead to conflict.
The beginning of the terrible war is considered to be the “Day of Wrath”, when during the game at the Maksimir stadium, fans of the Serbian and Croatian sides grappled in a fight. As a result, after a few weeks, a new independent state is formed - Slovenia. Its capital was the city with the romantic name of Ljubljana.
Other republics that were part of a large state are also beginning to prepare for the exit. At this time, disagreements and skirmishes continue with mass casualties and threats of unfolding serious hostilities.
city and lake of the same name Orchid, Macedonia
The next in the list of retired republics was. The city of Skopje assumed the role of its capital. Immediately after Macedonia, the experience is repeated by Bosnia (Sarajevo), Herzegovina and Croatia (Zagreb). Only the union between Serbia and Montenegro remained unshakable. They entered into a new agreement that remained legal until 2006.
The division of the once large state into small pieces did not give the expected results. Conflicts within the scattered territories continued. Ethnic strife, based on blood resentment, originating back in the 40s of the last century, could not subside so quickly.
It is worth noting that the population of Yugoslavia was very diverse. Slovenes, Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, Hungarians, Romanians, Turks, Bosnians, Albanians, Montenegrins lived on its territory. All of them were unevenly distributed among the 6 republics of Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina (one republic), Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia.
The so-called "10-day war in Slovenia", unleashed in 1991, laid the foundation for prolonged hostilities. The Slovenes demanded recognition of the independence of their republic. During the hostilities from the Yugoslav side, 45 people were killed, 1.5 hundreds were injured. From Slovenian - 19 killed, about 2 hundred wounded. 5 thousand soldiers of the Yugoslav army were taken prisoner.
This was followed by a longer (1991-1995) war for the independence of Croatia. Its secession from Yugoslavia was followed by armed conflicts already within the new independent republic between the Serb and Croat populations. The Croatian war claimed the lives of more than 20 thousand people. 12 thousand - from the Croatian side (moreover, 4.5 thousand are civilians). Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed, and all material damage is estimated at 27 billion dollars.
Almost in parallel with this, another civil war broke out inside Yugoslavia, which was falling apart into its components - the Bosnian (1992-1995). It was attended by several ethnic groups at once: Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims and the so-called autonomist Muslims living in the west of Bosnia. Over 100 thousand people were killed in 3 years. The material damage is colossal: 2,000 km of roads were blown up, 70 bridges were demolished. The railroad has been completely destroyed. 2/3 of the buildings are destroyed and unusable.
In the war-torn territories, concentration camps were opened (on both sides). During the hostilities, egregious cases of terror took place: mass rape of Muslim women, ethnic cleansing, during which several thousand Bosnian Muslims were killed. All those killed were civilians. Croatian militants shot even 3-month-old children.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) is a territory formed in 1918. Its flag changed several times from the date of the founding of the state to its collapse, but it was always based on a blue-white-red banner. Yugoslavia on the map was located at the crossroads of East and West, was a place of mixing of ethnic and religious confessions. The state's multiculturalism was a source of contention, culminating in a series of bloody conflicts in the 1990s. The map of Yugoslavia before the collapse and after differed dramatically: the state of almost 256 thousand square kilometers fell apart into 6 countries.
Countries that were part of Yugoslavia
The union was created at the end of the First World War by uniting Croatian, Slovenian and Bosnian territories with the Kingdom of Serbia.
List of republics that made up Yugoslavia:
- Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Socialist Republic of Croatia;
- Socialist Republic of Macedonia;
- Socialist Republic of Montenegro;
- Socialist Republic of Serbia;
- Socialist Republic of Slovenia.
Serbia included two Socialist Autonomous Provinces - Vojvodino and Kosovo.
The federation was the undisputed leader in terms of population among other Balkan countries: the resident population in 1987 was estimated at 23.4 million, and the country's population density rose from 62 people per square kilometer in 1948 to 92 per square kilometer in 1988.
Yugoslavia broke up into independent states. After the collapse, new countries appeared on the map: Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia. Some territories were able to defend their sovereignty peacefully, but the main period of disintegration was accompanied by bloodshed. The capital of Yugoslavia before the collapse - Belgrade - became the capital of independent Serbia.
The history of the formation of Yugoslavia
In the 19th century there was an Illyrian movement, the main idea of which was the creation of a "Great Illyria". It could be the result of the merger of the South Slavic regions, and attracted many prominent Croatian scientists and politicians. But the idea of a single state did not grow from a concept into a real movement, in large part because few supporters of this idea seriously thought about what form the new state should take as a result.
As a result of the fact that the Ottoman Empire was becoming weaker, and Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece were strengthening their positions, the idea of an alliance between them gained strength again and attracted an increasing number of like-minded people.
Ante Trumbich, Ivan Mestrovic, Nikola Stojadinovic and other well-known politicians emigrated abroad with the outbreak of the First World War. In 1915, in London, they organized a committee whose task was to represent the interests of the southern Slavs of Austria-Hungary. Thanks to their status, the participants in the Yugoslav association managed to convey their views to the allied governments, strengthening their authority in their eyes, because the fate of Austria-Hungary became more and more uncertain.
The date of coming to power of the National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs is October 6, 1918, this happened after the collapse of the Habsburg Empire, in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb. On October 25, this council repealed all laws linking the Slavic regions with Austria and Hungary. Shortly thereafter, on 5 November, the National Council in Zagreb approached the Serbian military for help in fighting anarchy in Croatia. Since help did not arrive until the end of November, the National Council again turned to the Serbian army for help with the words: “The population is in revolt. We have complete anarchy, and only the Serbian army can restore order.”
The Yugoslav Committee was charged with representing the new state abroad. However, quarrels immediately broke out about the terms of the proposed union with Serbia. Svetozar Pribicevic, a Croatian Serb, leader of the Croatian-Serbian coalition and vice-president of the state, wanted an immediate and unconditional union. Others (non-Serbs) who favored a federal Yugoslavia were more indecisive. Opponents also demanded the creation of a Confederation of South Slavs, which would be headed by three heads of state: the Serbian king, the Croatian leader and the president of the Slovenian National Council. The National Council, whose powers were in fact limited, feared that Serbia would simply annex the former Habsburg territories. After much debate, the National Council agreed to a union with Serbia.
Prerequisites for the collapse
From the mid-1960s, Yugoslavia's economy was in decline: inflation was skyrocketing, unemployment was worrying, and foreign debt was on the rise. The difference in the standard of living of different subjects became all too obvious. The country clearly marked the prosperous, such as Croatia and Slovenia, and the poorer regions of the country, Macedonia and Kosovo. The economic unification of Yugoslavia required investments, it was possible to continue it at the expense of richer subjects, who were no longer satisfied with such a situation. At the same time, national feelings were awakening in some republics and regions that were hidden by the policy of "Brotherhood and Unity": the inhabitants of Kosovo, the majority of the population of which were Albanians, withdrew demanding to secede from the union or receive self-government powers due to national discrimination.
For these reasons, in the 1970s, the Yugoslav politician Josip Broz Tito carried out sweeping reforms, and the capital of Yugoslavia, the city of Belgrade, became the site of a new constitution. This briefly eased the intensity of passions, but in 1980 Tito dies, and civil conflicts grow with renewed vigor.
In general, the factors that influenced the collapse of Yugoslavia can be divided into several groups:
- economic- the uneven development of regions, the maintenance of poorer subjects at the expense of the richer had consequences in the form of conflicts. In addition, Yugoslavia's foreign debt was constantly increasing, as Belgrade could not close the holes in the budget with its own funds;
- national- rich regions did not want to be donors for the poor, which gave rise to emancipation in order to create more comfortable conditions. This fueled among the inhabitants the awakening of national feelings of belonging to a different nation, different from the Yugoslav one;
- demographic- the large natural increase of Kosovo Albanians reduced the proportion of Serbs in the region, which allowed them to feel like a dominant people.
As a result of the increase, the Serbian population was subjected to daily oppression.
The Yugoslav War, sometimes referred to as the "War in the Balkans," was a series of separate but related conflicts that arose from ethnic divisions, struggles for independence and insurgencies and ended with the breakup of Yugoslavia. Most of these conflicts ended in peace agreements and international recognition of the independence of the new states. However, the Yugoslav War became the bloodiest war in Europe, second only to the First World War and the Second World War. The breakup of Yugoslavia claimed many lives, unlike the peaceful breakup of Czechoslovakia, which also took place during this time period. As a result of the division of Czechoslovakia, an independent Czech Republic appeared on the map, with Prague as its capital, and Slovakia with Bratislava as its capital.
The first link in the chain of conflicts was the Ten-Day War, which took place between the Yugoslav People's Army and the Territorial Defense of Slovenia - it was due to the secession of Slovenia from Yugoslavia.
Then followed the war in Croatia, which lasted four years, which was also caused by the declaration of Croatian independence. After it there was a three-year Bosnian War - a sharp inter-ethnic clash on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, caused by the confrontation between Serbs, autonomist Muslims, Bosnian Muslims and Croats.
Opposing sides
There were a large number of participants in the conflict: throughout Yugoslavia, clashes flared up daily on the basis of religion, nationality and class differences. But the main sides of the discord were:
- Serbs;
- Serbs living in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian Serbs);
- Croats;
- Bosnian Croats;
- Bosnians;
- Autonomist Muslims are Slavs whose traditional religion is Islam;
- Indigenous people of Albania living in Kosovo.
In addition to them, the UN, the United States of America and the USSR directly or indirectly took part in the conflict. The Republic of Macedonia did not participate in hostilities and managed to defend its independence, avoiding bloodshed.
The position of the Serbs in these conflicts was that the Yugoslav war began because of encroachments on the integrity of the state. In the process of military conflicts, the Serbian people were discriminated against and oppressed, they had to fight for their lives, which was the reason for uniting with each other on the same territory. The Serbs believed that they had the right to prevent division in areas dominated by the Serb population. Such Serbian territories were in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Croats insisted that when joining the union, each participant recognized the right of others to freely leave the union. Croatian leaders and people aspired to create an independent state, as they were not satisfied with the role of the donor region for the poorer members of the federation.
The rule of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the conflict did not have a clear position of the flesh until 1992, when the collapse of Yugoslavia became inevitable. The Bosnian Muslim soldiers were the smallest army in the entire chronicle of the Yugoslav military events. In the late spring of 1992, the Bosnians declared independence, which led to the invasion of the armed forces of the Republika Srpska.
The position of foreign states in the Yugoslav conflict
The world has shared its views on the collapse of Yugoslavia. The United States was against the collapse, showed its positive attitude towards the preservation of a single state. For a long time, the United States of America did not recognize the independence of the seceding states and considered them part of the disintegrated Yugoslavia. The position of the European Union remained neutral, the independence of all states that applied with a corresponding request was recognized.
It was not until 2004 that an agreement was reached on the division of Yugoslav property. The agreement, signed in Vienna, divided the gold and foreign exchange assets and property of the diplomatic missions of the SFRY between the former members of the union, and also divided between them the debts of other countries to Yugoslavia.
Thus, now on the world map, instead of one territory, there are several countries. Historians believe that the Serbs suffered the most as a result of the conflicts: more than a hundred representatives of this ethnic group were convicted by the International Tribunal.
