History: Conflicts and Interventions. Kosovo
Long-term causes
Medium-term causes
Significance
Impact
History of the Balkans
Medieval Times
Yugoslavia
before WWII
after WWII
Tito's death
Rise of Serbian Nationalism
Rise of Kosovar nationalism
The Dayton Accords
Disintegration of Yugoslavia
Yugoslav wars 1991-1995
Slovenia
Croatia
Bosnia
Key events
Srebrenica
Stari Most
NATO air strikes
Safe Zones
Camps
One of the newest and smallest countries in the world
Only war ever fought by NATO
Provides Cautionary Tale for separatists in Chechnya, the Basque, Tibetans
An example of unresolved ethnic and cultural tensions
Demographic pressures and changes as a catalyst for conflict
Killings were much smaller scaled than Rwanda
Why the "effective" response??
Social
Economic
Political
International Reaction and Impact
20th Century
Ruled by Ottomans for 500 years
Balkans considered poor, backward
Albanian Nationalists flexing muscles after Congress of Berlin in 1878
Created League of Prizren
To defend their language in culture
Role played by Albanians:
3/4 Million lived in Ottoman Empire
Served as mercenaries, advisers, and had commercial enterprises
Muslim
Around World War 1
1912- First Balkan War
1913- Second Balkan War
Ottoman Empire vs. Balkan States
Balkan States = Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia
Why? Quarrel over division of Macedonia
Who? Serbia and Greece against Bulgaria
Effects
First of all European conflicts of the 20th Century
Introduction to modern warfare
After World War 1
Compensation offered to Serbia
New union formed
Named "Kingdom of Serbs,Croats and Slovenes"
1929 renamed to Yugoslavia
Serbia had the strongest influence
Croatia, only country to side with Axis Powers
Resistance during the wars
Partisans
Royalists (pro-Serbian)
Called Chetniks
formed to resist Axis invaders and Croatian collaborators
Led by Josef Tito
Largely communists
Because of reprisal killings, became more restrained in his resistance
remained aggressive
Allies switch support to Partisans
Ethnic Tensions between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians
Tito's Yugoslavia 1945-1980
What role did Tito play?
Why did the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia split?
Albania under Enver Hoxha
"a weak Serbia means a strong Yugoslavia"
What does "Self management" mean?
What kind of Leader was Tito?
Why did Serbs move out of Kosovo?
Ruled over Albania as a dictator until his death in 1985
tough and uncompromising
Closed borders to Yugoslavia
aligned with Moscow
Improved healthcare, education and literacy
Tried to align with China
Stagnant economy
Tried to copy Mao in the 60's but within the next decade, Chinese Relations dropped
Communist Government
Supported Communists in Greece
Wanted to absorb Albania, cut ties with USSR
Dealt with issues of ethnicity and nationalism with an iron fist
Gave Albanians in Kosovo more autonomy after protests
Was the only European country which liberated itself from Nazi rule
Stalin was afraid that Tito would build a communist bloc to challenge his own
Greek communist support
planned federation with Bulgaria
Tito's communism was too independent from Stalin's communism
The split meant that Yugoslavia was caught right in the middle of the West and East bloc
Tito had to try and create a common identity for Yugoslavia
Tried to balance power of each republic
thus weakened Serbs
diluted Serbs in some regions
established autonomous Regions in Serbia
Kosovo
Vojvodina
Made Montenegro an independent republic
Percentage of Serbs in Kosovo dropped to 25% during Tito's rule
Excess poverty in the region
Tito's policy favoured Albanian minority
Gave the Worker's councils of the 6 republics of Yugoslavia partial autonomy
through local parliaments
A dictator
nevertheless extremely benevolent (well meaning)
Never held an election
Popular with the people
his power distribution was unnatural
gave minorities power
After his death, Tito's Yugoslavia began to fall apart
rise of Serb nationalism in the mid 1980s
from 1980 onwards
Propaganda from printing presses in Belgrade
Stories of rape,assault and intimidation
false
was particularly against the Kosovars
Student protests turned became more widespread
people criticising the authorities
Demographics
Serb population in Kosovo drops from >25% to 15% in 1981
Albanians had more children
Fake news from SANU- Serbian Academy of Science and Arts
Claimed Serbs outside of Serbia were being subjected to genocide
Rise of Slobodan Milosevic
SANU Memorandum 1996
most prominent academic body in Yugoslavia at the time
created a memorandum claiming that Serbs were being oppressed and subjected to genocide
blamed Yugoslav government
had an aggressive tone
"The existence of the Serbian nation is under threat"
Milosovic did not condemn Stambolic did
April 1987-Milosevic pulls his first media stunt
"No one should dare beat you"
Speech held at Kosovo Polje, the field where the Battle of Kosovo took place in 1389
planned to have Belgrade media
reassured Serbs that the government was concerned about the situation
September 1987- Central Committee of the Serbian communists, Milosevic turned on the Serbian leader
The event was a rallying call for Serb nationalists
said "The fatherland is under threat"
Milosevic exploted Serb nationalism to win popularity
December 1987- Stambolic resigns, Miilosevic takes over
Constitutional Reforms in Yugoslvaia, 1988-91
Under Tito
One vote for each republic
6+ Vojvodina and Kosovo
Milosevic wanted to gain control of Vojvodina and Kosovo
Milosovic wanted Montenegro
Milosevic aimed to replace leaders
October 1988
Vojvodina leadership arrested
by campaign from Miloslav Solevic, a follower of Milosovic
stirred Serb nationalism
simple slogans
rallies arranged
held a pivotal meeting the year before
Vojvodina leaders gave protestors bread and yogurt
protest named the Yogurt Revolution
yogurt thrown at buildings
November 1988
Kosovo's Communist Party is dismissed
Belgrade announced Kosovo was going to be stripped of it's autonomy
Kosovar leaders like Jashari and Vllasi were removed from the party committee by Belgrade
Miners protest in Pristina from Trepca
caused Serb mass rally in Belgrade
January 1989
company yielded 70% of country's wealth
Milosevic targets Montenegro
similar events happen as in vojvodina
28th June 1989
Celebration of the creation of a whole Serbian state
Kosovo and Vojvadina now under Serbia
Milosevic gave the day off
Milosevic's actions frightened the other federations
Slovenia especially
600th anniversary of the Battle fought in Kosovo
Very important day for Serb nationalism
Kosovo a very important place for Serb nationalists
Serbia 4 of 8 votes and they now celebrated the creation of a whole Serbian state
Ustasa- Croatian facist movment that ruled Croatia
Set up concentration camps in Croatia
Estimated killing of around 80,000-100,000 people