The 10-Day War
25 JUNE-5 JULY 1991
THE 10-DAY WAR
The culturally diverse and ethnically proud peoples of eastern Europe’s Balkan region have been subjected to domination for centuries. Between 600-650 AD, Slavics from further east gained control, in particular, Yugoslavs moved into Serbia, pushing Serbs and Croats into the area that is now Bosnia. A succession of Slavic empires flourished over the following centuries culminating in the Austro-Hungarian empire that dominated eastern Europe until the turn of the 20th century. Encouraged by their strong alliance with Hungary, the Austrians unilaterally annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, much to the displeasure of the people there. Six years later on 28 June 1914, Serbian nationals exacted revenge when the Austrian crown prince, Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, were assassinated while visiting Sarajevo, the region’s largest city. Angry Austrians accused Serbia of fomenting the assassination, and the Austrian Army marched defiantly into that latter country. The event set off a cascade of dominoes among European nations having mutual defense treaties that resulted in World War I.
The end of WWI saw the collapse of Austro-Hungary and the expulsion of the Turks, who had used the opportunity of the war to occupy the Balkans. The Republic of Yugoslavia was formed. But from it’s start, the diversity of languages, cultures and creeds sparked regional clashes. Most deeply divided were the Croats and Serbs, who perpetrated unspeakable atrocities against each other and were still fighting when the Nazis overran the region in 1941. Hitler supported the Croats and Balkan Muslims against the Serbs allied with emerging Communists under Marshal Josip Tito. Indeed, throughout the Balkans, European turmoil took a back seat to intersectional fighting. Following the Nazi capitulation, Tito gained control and reforged the Yugoslavian republic. The states of Slovenia and Croatia to the north, and Macedonia and Montenegro to the south became united with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. From his Communist headquarters in Belgrade (in the Serbian region), the iron-fisted Tito and his Yugoslavian Army (largely Serbian) squelched any further fighting.
Tito’s death in 1980 reignited the centuries-old conflicts. The northernmost state of Slovenia was the first region to rebel, formally declaring independence from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991. The same day neighboring Croatia also seceded, followed shortly by Macedonia, the remotely mountainous southernmost province. The Yugoslav Army vented its spleen on Slovenia, invading the new nation in what became known as the “10-day War.” Only European mediation and Yugoslavian exhaustion brought the short war to a cease fire and Slovenian victory on this day. The newly born nations of Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia were internationally recognized in early 1992.
Continued tomorrow…
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