JSB056 The disintegration of Yugoslavia

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Václav Štěpánek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Václav Štěpánek, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Václav Štěpánek, Ph.D.
Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Pavel Pilch, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Slavonic Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
Good orientation in the history of the Balkans in the last 100 years is required.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
From the historical point of view, this course analyses the basic crises moments, which after the death of Y. B. Tito contributed to the breakup of Yugoslavia. It covers problems of Kosovo, capturing the outbreak of so called “criticizing intellectuals” in Serbia and opposition intellectuals in Slovenia and its influence on development of nationalistic stances, it analyses the crisis of Yugoslavian political system, influenced by consistent application of 1974 Constitution principles, specifying in details political circumstances of the power rise of Slobodan Milošević and his so called "anti-bureaucratic revolution", Slovenian and Croatian opinions concerning further duration of the federation, fight for novelization of the constitution. It describes comprehensively the events of breakup of Communist Party of Yugoslavia and establishment of plural system in individual republics and critical moments of the development in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Kosovo up to 1992, i.e. the official date of SFRY breakup. It briefly describes the war events resulting from the breakup. Course also tries to provide an answer to the question, whether peace had a chance in Yugoslavia and analyses the role of non-governmental organizations and peace movements.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to interpret factors resulting in breakup of Yugoslavia objectively.
Syllabus
  • Introduction: Factors of Yugoslavian breakup.
  • 1974 Constitution and ensuing problems.
  • Awakening of the opposition: Serbian "criticizing intellectuals". Slovenian opposition. Nationalism, Myth of Kosovo and its influence on Serbian re-sentiment.
  • Struggle against nationalism.
  • Political rise of Slobodan Milošević and The Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Anti-bureaucratic revolution.
  • Tensions in relations between Serbia and Slovenia.
  • Towards political plurality: Slovenian constitution amendments; multi-partial political system in Croatia and Serbia.
  • Slovenia versus Serbia.
  • 14th Congress of SKJ (Communist Party of Yugoslavia).
  • Electoral victory of nationalistic parties and its consequences.
  • Territorial war conflicts.
  • Had the peace a chance in Yugoslavia?
Literature
    required literature
  • ŠESTÁK, Miroslav. Dějiny jihoslovanských zemí. Praha: Lidové noviny. 756 s. ISBN 80-7106-266-9. 1998. info
    recommended literature
  • ŠTĚPÁNEK, Václav. Antibyrokratická revoluce v Srbsku v letech 1988-1989. (Serbian Anti-Bureaucratic Revolution in 1988-1989). Studia historica brunensia. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, vol. 2006, C52, p. 189–223., 35 pp. ISSN 0231-7710. 2006. info
  • ŠTĚPÁNEK, Václav. Srbské snahy o revizi principů jugoslávské ústavy z roku 1974 (Od konce šedesátých let 20. století do 8. zasedání Ústředního výboru Svazu komunistů Srbska v září 1987) (Serbian Attempts to Revise the Principles of the Yugoslavian Constitution of 1974 (From the End of the 1960s till the 8th Session of the Central Committee of the League of Serbian Communists in September 1987). Slovanské historické studie. Praha, Brno: Historický ústav AV ČR, vol. 31, No 31, p. 101–136. ISSN 0081-007X. 2006. info
  • HLADKÝ, Ladislav. Bosenská otázka v 19. a 20. století. 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita v Brně. 388 s. ISBN 8021036745. 2005. info
  • ŠTĚPÁNEK, Václav. VIII. zasedání Ústředního výboru Svazu komunistů Srbska - přelomové datum moderní jugoslávské historie. Příspěvek k objasnění mocenského vzestupu Slobodana Miloševiće (8th Session of Central Committee of the League of Communists of Serbia; a Turning Point of Modern Yugoslavian History). Studia historica brunensia. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 51/2004, No 1, p. 179-194. ISSN 0231-7710. 2005. info
  • GLENNY, Misha. Balkán, 1804-1999 : nacionalismus, válka a velmoci. Translated by Olga Kovářová - Martin Kovář. 1. vyd. v českém jazyce. Praha: BB art. 547 s. ISBN 8072579762. 2003. info
  • PIRJEVEC, Jože. Jugoslávie 1918-1992 : vznik, vývoj a rozpad Karadjordjevićovy a Titovy Jugoslávie. Vyd. 1. Praha: Argo. 537 s. ISBN 8072032771. 2000. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, home reading.
Assessment methods
Oral examination aimed at testing the student’s insight into the main theories, concepts and methodologies of the discipline, or in the work of the main representatives of the scholarly discourse, and at checking the student’s ability to connect relevant facts into logical relations.
Language of instruction
Czech
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2024, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2024/JSB056