Yugoslav Wars

SocialistYugoslavia en

Serbs in Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia, 1981

Teritorialci so z armbrustom zadeli tank v križišču pred MMP Rožna Dolina.

Balkans War 1991, Dubrovnik - Flickr - Peter Denton 丕特 . 天登 (1)

Croatian War 1991 Vukovar destroyed tank

Sunja (Croatia)

Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies fought from 1991 to 2001 inside the territory of the former Yugoslavia. These wars accompanied and facilitated the breakup of the Yugoslav state, when its constituent republics declared independence, but the issues of ethnic minorities in the new countries (chiefly Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks) were unresolved at the time the republics were recognized internationally.

Background

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a country located in Southeast Europe and Central Europe during most of the 20th century. The state was formed in 1918 as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes by the merger of the provisional State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs (itself formed from territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire) with the formerly independent Kingdom of Serbia. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis powers in 1941, and because of the events that followed, was eventually succeeded by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945. The SFR Yugoslavia was a federal entity composed of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. The federation began to unravel in the late 1980s and early 1990s, leading to a series of political crises and conflicts.

Conflicts

The Yugoslav Wars can be broken down into the following major conflicts:

• The Ten-Day War in Slovenia (1991), which followed Slovenia's declaration of independence.
• The Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), against Serb-controlled Yugoslav forces and Serb paramilitary units.
• The Bosnian War (1992–1995), involving Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats.
• The Kosovo War (1998–1999), between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatist group KLA, culminating in a NATO intervention.
• The Insurgency in the Preševo Valley (1999–2001), involving ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia.
• The Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia (2001), involving ethnic Albanian rebels.

Consequences

The wars were characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, most notably between Serbs on one side and Croats, Bosniaks, and Albanians on the other. The wars have left many areas in the former Yugoslavia heavily mined, with economic development and growth severely hindered by the legacy of the conflicts. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by the UN to prosecute serious crimes committed during the Yugoslav Wars, and it has charged individuals from all ethnic backgrounds.

Legacy

The Yugoslav Wars have had a profound impact on the history of the Balkans. They resulted in major changes in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, including the independence of several states and significant political and ethnic reconfiguration of the region. The wars have been the subject of extensive analysis and commentary in the fields of international relations, ethnic conflict, and military strategy.

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