The current ethnic conflict in what was formerly Yugoslavia has roots that extend far back into history. The nationhood of the different ethnic groups in Yugoslavia was always somewhat artificial, brought about by the force of circumstances after World War I more than by a desire on the part of the different groups to be joined together under one banner. The nationalistic feelings in Yugoslavia extend back to the nineteenth century, to the era of nationalism throughout Europe. The ethnic groups in the region have long been divided by cultural differences, religion, and language. Efforts to unify the region failed until after World War I, when the impetus to come together increased for economic and security reasons. Yet, the nation that emerged was always tenuous because the union did not satisfy the needs of all the groups equally. Tensions seethed beneath the surface for the period of independent rule, and they continued under the domination by the Communists, who were able to keep the groups together only by the threat of force and by imposition of all structure and regulation from above. An analysis of the nationalism of the nineteenth century and the ways in which this was imposed on the ethnic tensions in what would become Yugoslavia will lead to an analysis of how the tensions survived the Communist years and then reemerged full-blown once Communist rule was ended. This will serve to show the peculiar relationship between nationalism, ethnic identity, and ethnic tension in the region of Yugoslavia and how these factors interacted and survived the period of Communist rule.
This is a complex issue because of the different ethnic groups and histories involved, and language and religion also play a role in both separating and uniting the various peoples of the region. Historical movements have complicated the issue as the different regions have passed from one group to another or been involved in different alliances ove...