Genocide in Yugoslavia 1989-1999

Importance of Geography The former Yugoslavia was made up of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Macedonia

Importance of Geography

Importance of Geography/Nationalism Notice the vast number of ethnic groups in the former Yugoslavia Tensions will be high in such a small geographic location

Brief History Yugoslavia became a country after World War I when the Ottoman Empire was diminished The area of Yugoslavia was the starting point for WWI – caused by a serbian nationalist From the start of Yugoslavia, the Serbs were the dominate group – but there are several minority groups

Brief History After WWII the republics that made up Yugoslavia fell to the communist Soviet Union – Once again these ethnic groups were under the control of a foreign government When the Soviet Union collapsed nationalists in Yugoslavia began to declare independence for their ethnic groups

Brief History As the nations that made up Yugoslavia began to gain independence the violence began Ethnic cleansing ensued By 1999 the western world felt obligated to intervene

Your assignment Take out a textbook and open to page 684-685. Read the section titled Yugoslavia Breaks Apart Answer the questions on the corresponding sheet As you read, keep in mind the importance of nationalism, and how it creates tension and violence

Questions and Answers 1. What are the different ethnic groups in Yugoslavia prior to 1991? What was the religion of each group? Check off if the ethnic group spoke Serbo-Croatian.

Ethnic Group Religion Language Serbs Serbo-Croatian Montenegrins Orthodox Christian Serbo-Croatian Montenegrins Macedonians other Croats Roman Catholics Bosniaks Muslim Slovenes Albanians

Questions and Answers 2. What ethnic group dominated Yugoslavia up to the 1990’s? Serbs

Questions and Answers 3. After reading the section Republics Break Away, explain the developments in the post-Soviet Southeastern Europe. Nationalists rise up Serbs look to flex their muscles by fighting the newly independent Croats By 2003 Yugoslavia consisted of only Montenegro and Serbia, therefore it took the name Serbia and Montenegro

Questions and Answers 4. At this point who appears to be the aggressor? Serbia

Questions and Answers 5. During the civil war what were the Serbs doing and to who? What was the response? Conducted a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Bosniaks and Croats The Croats attempted their own version of ethnic cleansing, targeting the Serbs

Questions and Answers 6. How does the war come to an end? NATO launched attacks against the Serbs The Dayton Accord ended this conflict in 1995

The Serbs were the minority, attacking the Albanian majority Questions and Answers 7. Based on what you have learned about genocide, what makes the struggle for Kosovo different than what you might expect? The Serbs were the minority, attacking the Albanian majority

The extreme Serbian nationalist, Slobodan Milosevic 8. Who was the Serbian president during the genocide in Kosovo? How was he described? The extreme Serbian nationalist, Slobodan Milosevic

Turmoil, conflicted, diversified, nationalist After reading the section, how would you describe the area of Southeast Europe in 2000? Turmoil, conflicted, diversified, nationalist

* How did nationalism play a role in the ethnic cleansing within Yugoslavia?