Communism

Definition of Communism: A theory or system in which all property is owned by the community. It is where a person contributes and receives according to their needs. 

Before 1952, The Communist Party of Yugoslavia was a major communist party in Yugoslavia. The party was founded as an opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1919. Josip Broz Tito led the party from 1937 to 1980.

The royal government banned them due to their success in the elections and they became an illegal underground group until World War II. After Yugoslavia’s collapse in 1941, communists became involved in a War of National Liberation and defeated the Axis forces (German, Japanese and Italian)  a bloody civil war. In 1945, The Communist Party of Yugoslavia established a one-party rule in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which lasted until the Yugoslav wars of 1991.

Tito was accused by Joseph Stalin of nationalism and moving more to the ‘right’ and thus was expelled from the Cominform in 1948. The party renamed itself the League of Communists and adopted politics of workers' self-management and independent communism, known as Titoism. 

To a degree free market enterprise was allowed internally in what is called Market Socialism under Tiotist Communism. 

Slobodan Milošević and nationalism

Slobodan Milošević was president of Serbia (1990-2000) and president of Yugoslavia (1997-2000). He came to power when communism fell in Yugoslavia in 1990 as whatever central control had existed had depended on the communist party and after that disbanded there was no central authority left in the country. Thus, Serbian nationalism developed as the antidote and answer to communism. It was the idealogical response to the problems left behind to Serbs to deal with after Tito's communist Yugoslavia.

During the free elections of 1990, all the republics had winning partys who aimed at turning the republic into the national state of the majority 'nation', thus ethnically defining the states and excluding minorities. It is clear to see that nationalism pulled together those who were of the same ethnicity, but divided those who were different. There was so Yugoslav nationalism- but nationalism of each separate state.The Yugoslav people moved away from the "brotherhood and unity" principle and became so incompatible as to make life together unfeasible.

What followed politically in the country was the message that the joint states of Croats, Serbs and others was not a viable option anymore and that the nations had the right to 'self-determination'. Already by 1991, Serbs had come to know a nationalist ideology that was exclusive of Croats, and visa versa. From the Serbian point of view, the Croats could have Croatia as long as it did not include any areas with Serb majorities. It was soon clear that Yugoslavia would disintegrate because of the separatist (supporter of independence) self-determination of the separate republics and their nationalist ideas.

Extract from "The Myth of Ethnic War: Serbia and Croatia in the 1990s" by VP Gagnon Jr (Page 9)

The driving force behind the Serbian fight for independence came from Milošević. He proposed the idea of a "Great Serbia"- a Serbian land where all the regions of Serbs could live unitedly. By coming up with the slogan "strong Serbia, strong Yugoslavia" he gained much support from the Serbian people. The slogan united Serbs, but divided them from the others. By using violent, aggresive political stratergies and speaking of Serbia's importance in the world, he appealed to nationalist passion and gained many loyal followers. He supported a centralized Yugoslav state, which would ensure the unity of the Serbs by decreasing the powers of the other republics, while others in Yugoslavia opposed this and called for a decentralization. He sent a message that most other Serbs echoed: all Serbs in the Yugoslav republics had the right to be united in a common state. Thus ethnic conflict arose as the Serbs sought unity and the other ethnicities sought independence.All the Serbs in Yugoslavia were united under the idea of unity for a "Great Serbia" which would lead to a "strong Yugoslavia".

"Milošević believes he now has the historic opportunity to, once and for all, settle accounts with the Croats and do what Serbian politicians after World War I did not- rally all Serbs in one Serbian state"
- Belgrade (Capital of Serbia) newspaper Borba, August 1991

On the other hand, there were violent altercations between nationalist Serbs and non-nationalist Serbs, who condemned the Serbian government and their actions. Serbs who opposed the nationalist ideals were reported to have been harassed, threatened and even killed. This was definitely a divisive force.

Serbian media at this time greatly supported Serb nationalism. It promoted xenophobia towards the other ethnicities living in Yugoslavia. Albanians were targetted the most and were labelled as anti-Yugoslav counter revolutionaries, rapists and a threat to the Serb nation. During the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), the media promoted Serb nationalism, hostility towards Croatia and violence. The media was used as a tool to unify Serb thinking and dividing them from the other ethinicities.

 A falsified image with the caption: "a Serbian boy whose whole family was killed by Bosnian Muslims", published by Vecernje Novosti during the Bosnian War. The image was actually painted 100 years prior to the war by Serbian artist Uros Predic.

After the wars, Yugoslavia was a disjointed country full of resentment and anger between the different republics and their majority ethnicity. Torn apart as a country because of extreme nationalists of each republic carrying out extreme violence, war crimes and even ethnic cleansing (genocide), yet each republic was united in a common goal and unified nationalist ideals. Some argue that the course of the wars caused the breakup of Yugoslavia, but Yugoslavia essentially collapsed when the separate and exclusivist Serbian (and Croatian) nationalism achieved politically, consequently making the joint state impossible and irrevocably divided.

Timeline

1914- World War 1 started

1918- (World War 1 ended) After World War 1, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is formed. Previously, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina had been part of the Austro-Hungary Empire. Serbia and Montenegro existed as an independent state (Macedonia was then part of Serbia).

1929- The monarchy’s name of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes is changed to Yugoslavia.

1939- World War 2 started

1941-Yugoslavia invaded by the Axis powers (Italy, Germany and Japan) and occupied by them

1945- (World War two ended) Yugoslavia now under Prime minister, Josip Broz Tito, becomes a communist republic and name is changed to the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. It was made up of six republics: Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro and the two provinces, Kosovo and Vojodina.

1946- Communist government established and now renamed to the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia.

1963- Name changed to Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as now a socialist state. 

1980- Until Tito’s death in 1980, ethnic tension had been in check. Now without his pan-Slavic influence, ethnic and nationalist differences began to arise.

1989- Slobodan Milošević becomes president of Serbia (until 1997)

1991- The provinces of Slovenia and Croatia declare independence. Slovenia declared its independence on 25 June 1991. Intervention between the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) and the Slovenians forces shortly turned into a brief military conflict. After this ’10-day war’ JNA withdrew its solders.

The Croatian war of independence was fought from 1991-1995. The fairly large minority of ethnic Serbs in Croatia rejected the authority of the newly proclaimed Croatian state wanting to remain within Yugoslavia. The Croatian Serbs rebelled along with the help of JNA and Serbia. The Yugoslav army, representing Serbia, attacks Croatia and the war is begun. The Croatian Serbs declared an independent state consisting of nearly a third of Croatia’s territory where Croats and other non-Serbs were expelled in a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing.

1992- The European Union recognises the independent states of Croatia and Slovenia.

Jan- Macedonia declares independence.

April- Bosnia and Herzegovina declares independence.

Bosnia is 43% Muslim, 31% Serbian, and 17% Croatian. Ethnic tension at highest and conflict between Bosnia and Herzegovina has begun. (1992-1995)

Serbia and Montenegro form the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with Slobodan Milosevic as its leader. This new government is not recognised by the United States as the ‘new’ Yugoslavia.

1995- Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia sign the Dayton Peace Accord to end the war in Bosnia.

Bosnia achieves peace. The country has been parted into three areas and each region governed by one of the three ethnic groups.

1996- The ethnic Albanian community sought independence from Serbia in Kosovo.

1997- Slobodan Milošević becomes president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (until 2000)

1998- Slobodan Milošević sends troops to Kosovo to quash unrest in the province. A guerrilla war breaks out.

1999- January- Due to sanctions, Serbian economy continues to deteriorate

March- after peace talks fail; NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) carries through on its threat to launch airstrikes on Serbian targets.

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Bosnian Serb nationalism remains strong

The Kosovo War

Kosovo (a Serbian province in southern Serbia and Montenegro populated predominantly by Albanians) was in a state of oppression during the 1990s, as Albanian radio and television were restricted and Kosovar Albanians were dismissed from their jobs by the masses. Sick and tired with their treatment, the Kosovo Liberation Army was formed in 1996 and the Kosovar Albanians started an insurgency (an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government) against the Serbian government.

Armed fighting broke out at the beginning of 1998. In March 1999, after a failed NATO organized ceasefire in January 1999, NATO decided the conflict would only end with the introduction of military peacekeeping forces, who would forcibly restrain the two side. 

However, Yugoslavia rejected the external peacekeeping forces and so NATO followed this with the bombing of Yugoslavia, which was an intervention against Serbian forces. This caused a great loss of life and many people were displaced. Nonetheless, Serbian police and paramilitaries continued to displace the Kosovar Albanians.

Usce Tower on fire because of NATO bombing, Yugoslavia, 1999.

In June 1999, hostilities ended with the Kumanovo agreement. Kosovo was placed under control of the United Nations interim administration mission.

The Bosnian War

In 1992, conflict erupted in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The war was primarily a territorial conflict between Bosniaks and Croats living in Bosnia, supported by Croatia, and Serbs in Bosnia supported by the JNA and Serbia. Opposed to the Bosnian government's plan for independence, the Serb controlled JNA and other armed nationalist Serb militant forces tried to prevent Bosnian citizens from voting in the 1992 referendum (a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision) on independence. Even after an intimidating atomosphere was created by the opposing forces and a Serb boycott, the vote resulted in 99% vote in support for independence.

  A Croatian military tank in Bosnia. The army was granted the use of the range for first time in 18 months to train their troops on the proper use of the tank, its 100mm main gun and 12.7mm machine gun. They used this to defend the Bosnian aim of independence.

On 19 June 1992, war broke out, though fighting had already broken out after Bosnia and Herzegovina had declared independence. Bosnia's Serb faction (group) was led by the "ultra nationalist" Radon Karadzic. He promised independence for all Serb areas of Bosnia from the Bosniak government.

To connect the disconnected parts of territories populated by Serbs and areas that were claimed by Serbs, Karadzic followed a plan of organized ethnic cleansing. This was mainly against Bosnians through massacre and forced removals. This was part of a strategic plan by the Serb leaders who aimed at linking Serb populated areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina together, to gain control over these areas and create a separate Serb state. The Serbs were aware of the fact that this could only be achieved through the use of force and fear, consequently by the use of war crimes.

 The war rape that took place in this Yugoslav war can be characterized as genocide. The rape carried out by Serb forces looked to destroy cultural and social connections of the victims and their communities. This was aimed at creating homogenous nation states, due to nationalist ideas of purity.  Serbian soldiers were urged to and hoped to force Bosnian women to carry Serbian children through repeated rape, hence work towards an ethnic cleansing. This most obviously and definitely caused irrevocable damage between the republics and divided them even further. The wars had moved away from territorial disputes and had become about bettering one's own nation at the detriment of the others.

Croats stood for an independent Bosnia and Herzegovina.The Bosnian Croat forces were supported by the Croat Army. They fought violently against the Bosnian Serbs and the JNA.

Pressure was put on all sides to stick to a ceasefire and negotiate an end to the war. On the 14th of December 1995, the Dayton Agreement was signed.