The Balkans Eastern and Central Europe in Film and Print

Origins of Slavic People

A.D.

A.D.

Ottoman Empire

1812

Religious Majorities 1900

The First Balkan War: 1912 Russia & Austrian-Hungarian Empire two great powers Balkan League formed to drive Turks out –Bulgaria –Serbia –Montenegro –Greece Threatened war with A-H if status quo upset Albania declared independence A-H and Turks feared Russia port on Adriatic (threat to both empires)

The Second Balkan War: 1913 Serbs turned against Bulgarians Occupied Kosovo and Macedonia Regarded Kosovo as cradle of their civilization Serbs wanted to expand and create a Greater Serbia Threatened status quo and neighboring empires A-H wanted to create alliance of Southern Slavic states against Russia KOSOVO

World War I 1914: Franz Ferdinand (heir to King) shot in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Wanted to unify Southern Slavs in Bosnia and Kosovo as bulwark against Serb expansion Ignites WWI A-H defeated Kingdom of Southern Slavs (Yugoslavia) uniting Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Slovenia Serbs dominate; Croats prefer independence

World War II WWII: Croatian Ustashi Fascists welcome Hitler, become independent state (inc. Bosnia) Serbs, Jews, Gypsies, and anti-Fascist Croats killed in concentration camps Balkans controlled by Axis powers –Germany controls Serbia –Italy controls Montenegro –Albanians occupy Kosovo –Bulgaria occupies Macedonia

W.W. II

After World War II Tito (communist) and Mikailovic (Serb nationalist) emerge as political rivals Tito creates communist federation of six republics: –Croatia –Montenegro –Serbia (including Kosovo and Vojvodina) –Bosnia-Herzegovina –Macedonia –Slovenia

Soviet Union & Satellites

Collapse of Soviet Union:

The Balkans: : Federation falls apart Nationalism replaces communism as force Slovenia and Croatia break away after conflict with Serbia Tudman’s HDZ party stirs Croatian nationalism Rural Serbs in Croatia resist Croat nationalization (remember WWII Ustashi) Milosovic’s Chetnik agitators stir up Serbs in Slovenia Fighting breaks out in Croatia and Slovenia UN cease fire; Serbs get 1/3 Croatia Croats “ethnicially cleansed” from region

The Balkans: Conflicts between: – Bosnian Muslims & Serbs Belgrade backs Bosnian Serbs who want to remain part of Yugoslavia and create a greater Serbia Muslims driven from homes (ethnic cleansing) 1993: Bosnian Muslim gov’t besieiged Bosnian Muslims fight separate war with Bosnian Croats who want to be part of Croatia

The Balkans: Dayton Agreement (1995) Two entities in Bosnia: –Bosnian Serb Republic –Muslim-Croat Federation Croats reclaim territory captured by Serbs 200,000 Serbs leave Croatia

The Balkans: : Kosovo Liberation Army and majority ethnic Albanians rebel against Serbian rule International community opposes independence NATO launches air strike against Serbs (1st ever attack on sovereign European country) Thousands of Kosovo Albanian Muslim refugees flee Serb atrocities Atrocities reported on both sides

The Balkans: COUNTRY Minority CROATIA Serbs (rural; remember Croat Ustashi in WWII) SLOVENIA Serbs PARTY/ARMY Democratic Croatian Union (HDZ) Serbian-backed Chetnick agitators Slovenian Territorial Defense (TD) JNA KEY EVENTS & OUTCOME Serbs get 1/3 Croats “cleansed” Serbs defeated in ‘95 Serbs “cleansed” Croatian recognized as independent TD defeats JNA in 10- day war Declares independence

The Balkans: COUNTRY Minorities BOSNIA Muslims (president) Croats PARTY/ARMY Serbian SDS (blue & white) + JNA Muslim SDA (green crescents) Croat HDZ (red-checkered shield) KEY EVENTS & OUTCOME SDS-SDA alliance SDA purges Serbs JNA builds defenses in Sarajevo SDA-HDZ win EC vote recognizing Bosnia War breaks out JNA + Chetnicks vs BiH Muslims Non-Serbs “cleansed”

The Balkans: COUNTRY Minorities BOSNIA Muslims (president) Croats PARTY/ARMY Serbian SDS (blue & white) + JNA Muslim SDA (green crescents) Croat HDZ (red-checkered shield) KEY EVENTS & OUTCOME Muslims + Croats fight each other 1995: Croats defeat Serbs US/NATO launch raids on Serbs UN peacekeepers deployed 3.5 million Croats and Muslims displaced

The Balkans: COUNTRY Majority KOSOVO Muslim Albanians (2/3 population) PARTY/ARMY Serbian JNA KLA KEY EVENTS & OUTCOME 1960s: Albanians repressed Serbs 57,000 Serbs flee Serb gov’t “harasses” Albanians KLA formed “Cleansing” and refugees NATO bombing “Autonomy”

Criticisms of US, UN & European Policies Failed to intervene in Croatia US against Croatian and Slovenia independence Gave Serbs invitation to intervene militarily to prevent the independence of these republics and to seize territory for “Greater Serbia” Failed to support democratic movements Serbs: We helped Kosovo, but didn’t help minority Serbs in Croatia UN failed to heed warnings of rape/atrocities NATO bombings killed many innocent people