Historical Understanding Activity
Document 2: Brief Historical Account of the Conflict in Yugoslavia
There were periods of both violent conflict and peaceful coexistence between ethnic and religious groups throughout the history of Yugoslavia. During the period between World War I and World War II (1918-1939) the different ethnic and religious groups in the region lived mostly in peace. During World War II, the German Nazis occupied the area and gave control of the government to the Ustasha, a Croatian fascist organization. The Ustasha persecuted and killed Jews as well as Serbians, Bosnian Muslims, and also Croatians who resisted the Nazi occupation. This situation led to vicious fighting and more than a million Yugoslavs died, mostly at the hands of other Yugoslavs.
Marshall Tito led the Partisan forces who, along with the Serbian Chetniks, fought against the Nazis and their Ustasha allies. These groups also fought among themselves for control of the government. When the Nazis were finally defeated in 1945, Tito’s Partisans gained control of the government. Tito became the new leader of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (see the map on the previous page). Tito ruled Yugoslavia as an independent socialist country from 1945 until his death in 1980.
Tito was an authoritarian leader who limited freedoms of speech, press and political participation. However, while he led, there was also tolerance between ethnic and religious groups in much of the country. Bosnia-Herzegovina in particular was known for its religious diversity and tolerance. During the ten years that followed Tito’s death, that tolerance gradually dissolved and ethnic tensions increased within and between the different Yugoslav nations.
In May 1990, Yugoslavia had its first democratic election. Most people voted for political parties that represented their own ethnic and religious group. Around this time, the country began to experience an economic downturn. In June 1991, the two wealthier nations of Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia. Serbia, where the central government was located, objected and sent the Yugoslav army into both nations, claiming they were protecting the rights of local Serbs. In March 1992, Bosnia-Herzegovina also declared its independence and soon the whole region descended into warfare and inter-ethnic violence that lasted until December 1995..
Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians were displaced from their homes and many were murdered, tortured, or raped during this brutal conflict involving ethnic hatred. Atrocities were committed by all sides of the conflict. However, a greater proportion of Muslims were murdered in what is now referred to as ethnic cleansing. The World Court continues to this day to attempt to bring war criminals from all sides of the conflict to justice.