1 definition by ModerenHistory
The Serbo-Croatian conflict goes all the way back to the creation of Yugoslvia. The Croatian parliament opposed the new state from the begining. In 1929 Serbian King Alexander Karageorgevic I proclaimed the foundation of Yugoslavia with the Serbs dominating the authoritarian monarchy. King Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles by an extreme nationalist organization in Bulgaria with the cooperation of the Ustashi, a Croatian fascist separatist organization. Croatia gained autonomy in 1939 and in 1941 Croatia joined World War II on the side of the Axis Powers and staged a military coup that made Ustashe leader Ante Pavelic leader of Croatia, which was essentially a Nazi puppet state that allowed the Nazis to invade Yugoslavia. AT the end of the second world war it was estimated that the Croatian Ustashi murdered over 750,000 Serbs. This was one of the reasons the Serbo-Croatian war broke out 50 years later. The Serbo-Croatian War happend last decade, which lasted from 1991-1995. When Croatia declared it's independence in 1991 the Serbs then created the Republic of Serbian Krajina in central and northeastern Croatia. By the end of 1991 the Serbs held roughly 30% of the former Yugoslav Republic of Croatia. In 1992, after the European Community had repeatedly tried and failed to negotiate a peace, the United Nations was able to administer a truce between the two sides and sent in a peacekeeping force, UNPROFOR. In 1995 the Serbian army had it's hands full with the crisis in Bosnia, thats when the Croatian forces launched a massive offensive against the Krajina Serbs. The offensive led to approximately 14,000 Serb civilians being killed and about 300,000 Serb refugees. The attacks were against civilians, namely burning Serb homes, looting Serb property, and killing and mutilating Serb civilians, especially the elderly. In retaliation the Serbs launched a rocket attack on the Croatian capital of Zabreb, causing a few deaths and over 100 injuries. Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina were able to forcibly seceded from Yugoslavia whilest Mecedonia did so peacefully.
The Serbo-Croatian War was secretly covered up as the US and the West in general played in the offensive of the Serbs that lived in Krajina. There were reports that NATO planes were used to take out Serb command and control centers in the Krajina, allowing the Croats a much easier time with their offensive.
by ModerenHistory September 11, 2005