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 Orthodox Christian Serbo-Croatian

Montenegrins Orthodox Christian Serbo-Croatian

Macedonians Orthodox Christian other

Croats Roman Catholics Serbo-Croatian

Bosniaks Muslim Serbo-Croatian

Slovenes Roman Catholics other

Albanians Muslim other

Questions and Answers

2. What ethnic group dominated Yugoslavia up to the 1990’s?

Serbs

Questions and Answers3. 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

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

8. Who was the Serbian president during the genocide in Kosovo? How was he described?

The extreme Serbian nationalist, Slobodan Milosevic

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?