The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia

1. The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia Conditioning the Inevitable

2. Previous Factors • Pre-War (WW I) Yugoslavism • Us vs. Them • Cultural commonality of south Slavs • Linguistic similarity • Cultural history • Epic songs • Common traditions

3. Previous Factors • Interwar (between WW I and WW II) Yugoslavism • Push toward unification in many ways a response to the Austro-Hungarian empires efforts during World War I to exploit infighting. • If the South Slavic states were fighting amongst themselves for cultural and political superiority, they would be much easier to control.

4. Previous Factors • Post WWII Yugoslavismencouraged by the ruin of WWII. • United we stand, divided we fall. • One country needs one language. • Linguistic similarity of Kaj-, Što-, and E-Kavian (among others). • But which dialect?

5. The Rise • Many different factors contributed • Communist leaders advocated “Unity” over “Brotherhood” • Distinction: “unity” is supra-national, “brotherhood” implicitly acknowledges individual identity of each “brother nation.” • Literature and culture enthusiastically propagated Yugoslav nationalism. • Education system geared toward propagating Yugoslavism

6. The Fall – Cultural Factors • The eternal question for the entire story of Yugoslavia: Who gets to be the original? • Serbian cultural hegemony • Epic Songs and other cultural heritage • Any concerted efforts to create a truly synthetic cultural heritage (cf. Sculptures of Meštrović) backfired • No original = belongs to none of us • Cultural policy change, 1963 constitution: “The peoples of Yugoslavia [have] the right to engage in cooperative ventures among themselves without any role being played by the federal government.”

7. The Fall – Political Factors • Inherent problematic nature of conglomerate states: • Strong individual identity = high potential for division • Culturally motivated nationalism (cf. USSR and Central Asian States) • Tito led a more federalist-styled state, officially advocating “unity” over “brotherhood” but simultaneously allowing particularist tendencies to strengthen. (cf. Austro-Hungarian empire’s strategy circa WWI) • This combined with the cultural policy to create a practically inevitable turn toward division

8. The Fall – Culturopolitical factors • Each state’s strengthening particularistic identity motivated a push for even greater cultural and political autonomy within Yugoslavia. • Instead of making the states more content, greater autonomy led to greater nationalistic tendencies • No longer Yugoslav nationalism • Serbia’s growing cultural and political influence bred discontent (reemergence of perceived Serbian Hegemony)

9. Reactions The role of literature seems to be given a very prominent place in the unfolding of events in Wachtel’s take on things. Generally speaking, how much is literature a reflection of affairs, and how much is it a catalyst of events? In the case of Yugoslavia? The United States is more or less successfully made up of many different states that have much that is the same, and much that is different (e.g. Alabama vs. New York). Is geography the key difference in our success vs. their failure to have a state made of states? Does culture give rise to nationalism, or does nationalism give rise to culture?