Great Britain And The Creation Of Yugoslavia

The final weeks of World War I saw a revolutionary upheaval in Europe, as old empires collapsed and new, self-proclaimed 'nation-states' emerged in their place. For its advocates, the Yugoslav state created in 1918 represented a largely uniform culture and identity. But as its official name - the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes - suggested, its population was by no means homogeneous. Too late, the British - who had been instrumental in the birth of the state at Versailles - as well as other Europeans and the Americans came to appreciate that divisions of religious affiliation and historical tradition continued to override linguistic unity. James Evans analyses British ideas and assumptions about the region's history and culture and assesses how these were reshaped by newly prevalent ideas about Yugoslav nationality. Attitudes and preconceptions first formed during this period would prove remarkably enduring, making their mark on British responses to events in Yugoslavia throughout the country's troubled history. "Great Britain and the Creation of Yugoslavia" sheds valuable light not only on attitudes to Yugoslav nationality in the early 20th century, but also on western responses to the violent demise of the Yugoslav state at the century's close.

"The final weeks of World War I saw a revolutionary upheaval in Europe, as old empires collapsed and new, self-proclaimed 'nation-states' emerged in their place. For its advocates, the Yugoslav state created in 1918 represented a largely uniform culture and identity. But as its official name - the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes - suggested, its population was by no means homogeneous. Too late, the British - who had been instrumental in the birth of the state at Versailles - as well as other Europeans and the Americans came to appreciate that divisions of religious affiliation and historical tradition continued to override linguistic unity. James Evans analyses British ideas and assumptions about the region's history and culture and assesses how these were reshaped by newly prevalent ideas about Yugoslav nationality. Attitudes and preconceptions first formed during this period would prove remarkably enduring, making their mark on British responses to events in Yugoslavia throughout the country's troubled history. "Great Britain and the Creation of Yugoslavia" sheds valuable light not only on attitudes to Yugoslav nationality in the early 20th century, but also on western responses to the violent demise of the Yugoslav state at the century's close."--Bloomsbury publishing.

A detailed and important critical study of Britain's policies regarding Yugoslavia in the early years of World War II.

This book contains more than 360 documents relevant to the international legal position of the Yugoslav territories in the 19th century, the creation of Yugoslavia as a common state of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, 1918, its constitutional development, and the process of dissolution of Yugoslavia and the creation of the new states of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It includes documents from the beginning of the 19th century showing the international legal position of the Yugoslav territories under the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, the independence of Serbia and Montenegro, recognized by the Treaty of Berlin, 1878, and the major events in the history of the creation of Yugoslavia as a joint state of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, in 1918, concerning both its international position and its constitutional organization. The process of the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (covering the period from 1990 to September 1, 1993) is presented through reproduced documents of international organizations (United Nations, European Community, Western European Union, Organization of Islamic Conference, etc.), of the different conferences and forums (CSCE, Group of Seven, etc.) and documents issued by Yugoslav organs and the organs of new states of the former Yugoslavia. The book also includes documents of a constitutional nature concerning the creation of the new states of Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It provides researchers in the field of international law, political science of history with documentary information involving international legal and constitutional aspects relating to Yugoslavia.

In 1991, an ethnically diverse region that had enjoyed decades of peaceful coexistence descended into bitter hatred and chaos, almost overnight. Communities fractured along lines of ethnic and religious affiliation and the ensuing fighting was deeply personal, resulting in brutality, rape and torture, and ultimately the deaths of thousands of people. This book examines the internal upheavals of the former Yugoslavia and their international implications, including the failure of the Vance-Owen plan; the first use of NATO in a combat role and in peace enforcement; and the war in Kosovo, unsanctioned by the UN but prosecuted by NATO forces to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the region.