From Booklist
The fate of Yugoslavia (or what remains of Yugoslavia) can be seen as a wake-up call for the rest of Europe. After two world wars --triggered, to a large extent, by intranational and international ethnic hatreds--it was often assumed that Europe had moved beyond such petty concerns. Yugoslavia, a melange of Croats, Serbs, Slovenes, and other minorities emancipated from the ruins of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, seemed a success story. Yet, after the death of Tito, in 1980, the old ethnic hatreds emerged, stoked by opportunistic, nationalist politicians, including Slobodan Milosevic. Benson is professor of history at University College, Northampton, England, and his easily digestible and highly informative survey traces Yugoslav history from the birth of the nation after World War I to its ongoing dissolution over the past two decades. This is a fast-moving narrative history, which glosses over many cultural developments. However, Benson shows great insight in illustrating the historical and cultural factors that prevented true national unity from taking hold in this tortured land. Jay Freeman
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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Violence and instability in Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia are threatening European security, and a new, arguably more dangerous, phase of Balkan history is opening up. Yugoslavia: A Concise History traces the origins of the present crisis, charting the making and destruction of Yugoslavia (twice) in the context of struggles between great powers for control of the Balkans. Made ungovernable by nationalist rivalries, the first Yugoslavia lapsed into paralysis and dictatorship. Axis occupation in 1941 unleashed a murderous civil war, in which the Communist Party emerged victorious, but with a bitter legacy of hatred to overcome. For many years, Tito's Yugoslavia appeared to the world as a peaceful, multi-national federation, known for package holidays, not ethnic cleansing.

Concise and clearly written, in a style accessible to the general reader, this book explains why nationalist conflicts finally ended Yugoslavia's turbulent and tragic history, amid barbarism unknown in Europe for half a century.

SYNOPSIS

Benson (politics and sociology, University College Northampton, UK) presents a history of the former Yugoslavia that begins in the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century and ends in the extradition of Slobodan Milosevic to The Hague in July of 2001. Political forces are given primacy over social and economic developments as she explores successive efforts to impose differing political orders on the "land of the southern Slavs." Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

FROM THE CRITICS

John Allcock