Breaking the South Slav Dream: The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia (2003)

This book provides a revisionist history of the rise and fall of Yugoslavia. Assessing the geo-political and geo-strategic reasons for its creation and dismemberment, it is an important corrective to much contemporary theorising about the destruction of the Yugoslav state. In particular Kate Hudson draws attention to the role of foreign states whose involvement in Yugoslavia did much to destabilise the region, and explains how and why this happened. Tracing the state's origins from 1918 through war and the Tito years, she explains the distortion of the socialist economy resulting from Yugoslavia's unusual position between the two Cold War blocs, and the economic collapse of the 1980's as part of the US's drive for a free market. She also investigates the true causes and effects of the recent wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo and brings the book up-to-date with an analysis of Milosevic's downfall, and events in Macedonia and Montenegro.'has the potential to reopen the debate over the collapse of Yugoslavia, thus establishing the title as an original contribution to the ongoing discussion on the Balkans ... a very valuable addition' Vassilis Fouskas, Kingston University Contents......Page 4 Introduction......Page 7 1 The first Yugoslavia: origins and problems......Page 14 Yugoslavism and the origins of the state......Page 15 The war and its outcome......Page 18 Economic challenges in nation- building......Page 21 Political challenges in nation- building......Page 24 Peasants and communists......Page 26 Absolute rule......Page 29 2 The Second World War......Page 32 The eve of war......Page 33 Division and occupation......Page 35 Resistance......Page 37 The cost of the war......Page 43 3 The Tito years......Page 45 Establishing the new state......Page 46 The split with the Soviet Union......Page 48 Self- management......Page 51 Non- alignment......Page 54 Nations and constitutions......Page 56 Reasserting communist authority......Page 60 4 Economic assault: the 1980s and the US drive for a free market......Page 62 Economic instability......Page 64 Political instability......Page 68 The question of Kosovo......Page 70 Milosevic......Page 74 5 Crisis response......Page 79 Political change in Slovenia......Page 81 Multi- party elections......Page 84 Breakdown......Page 88 Slovenian secession......Page 92 6 War: the first wave Croatia......Page 95 International interests......Page 97 Conflict with the JNA......Page 98 Negotiation and recognition......Page 104 7 War: the second wave Bosnia......Page 109 The question of Islam......Page 111 The build- up to war......Page 115 The war begins......Page 118 The final stages......Page 125 The Dayton Accords......Page 126 8 War: the third wave Kosovo......Page 129 The KLA and the move towards war......Page 130 Rambouillet and the legality of the attack......Page 133 The NATO bombardment......Page 137 Kosovo after the war......Page 141 9 Bringing down Milosevic and what came after......Page 144 Politics in Serbia......Page 145 The presidential election of 2000......Page 150 Macedonia and Montenegro......Page 155 10 Victors justice? ? The trial of Slobodan Milosevic......Page 158 The charges......Page 160 Background......Page 162 The trial......Page 168 Racak......Page 173 Rambouillet......Page 175 An insider witness......Page 176 Notes......Page 177 B......Page 188 C......Page 189 F......Page 190 I......Page 191 L......Page 192 M......Page 193 P......Page 194 S......Page 195 W......Page 197 Z......Page 198 Providing a revisionist history of the rise and fall of Yugoslavia, this book assesses the geo-political and geo-strategic reasons for its creation and dismemberment. It acts as an important corrective to much contemporary theorizing about the destruction of the Yugoslav republic Yugoslavia, in the geographic form that it was known during its seven decades of existence, was created out of the ruins of two of the great territorial empires of central and eastern Europe at the end of the First World War. Kate Hudson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.