A Brief History Of Ethnic Tensions Between Serbians And Croatians

Ethnic tensions between the Serbians and Croatians existed many decades before World War I and the establishment of Yugoslavia. Although they are both considered Slavic, these two ethnic groups can be distinguished by the differences in their religion and political ideals. Croatia had a long history of administration within Hungary, whereas Serbia's political identity was defined by centuries of rule under the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, while Croatia benefited by earlier professional administration, Serbia's political development was behind in comparison. Because of this, the unification of all Southern Slavs within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia created challenging differences to overcome (Tomasevich). The establishment of Yugoslavia was a promising plan for the unification of the Slavic people, but soon became a disappointment because of political infighting, due to pre-existing ethnic tensions between Croatians and Serbians.

Through a decade of minimal political progress, Croatian and Serbian rivalries only escalated. Although these tensions did not influence politics until World War II, the pre-war period saw the establishment of opposing political parties: the Serbian Chetniks and the Croatian Ustase. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia, formed in 1918, was multiethnic and therefore very dependent on the political loyalties of the ethnicities. Because of this, seemingly harmless pro-ethnic groups could, in actuality, change the political landscape, effecting important decisions. This created a scenario where radical, racially driven political parties had a chance to lead the country. The Croatian Ustase, a nationalist political group, mixed Fascism with Catholic Fundamentalism ideals to encourage the Croatian citizens against th...

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...ceeded in damping down ethnic conflicts for over 30 years.

The ethnic tensions and political rivalries brought on by the establishment of Yugoslavia heavily overshadowed the positive unification that the Slavic people had hoped for. This similar history encouraged a propaganda movement during the Yugoslav Wars, in which Serbian and Croatian leaders excited their followers by mockingly calling their enemies Ustase or Chetniks. It goes without saying that, clever political leaders exploited a past of ethnic rivalries, especially when winning popular approval was involved and promises of electoral success in a time of political instability. The fact of the matter is that, if ethnic tensions are involved in the formation of a country, the country will eventually meet its inevitable, bloody end. As Yugoslavia stands as a great example, it definitely does not stand alone.