History glossary
Yugoslavia
a twentieth-century Balkan state that united several South Slavic peoples before violently breaking apart.
- Category
- State
- Region
- Balkans, southeastern Europe
- Date range
- 1918-1992 in major forms
What it means
Yugoslavia was created after the First World War and later became a socialist federation under Tito. It included modern Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kosovo's disputed territory. Its breakup in the 1990s brought wars, ethnic cleansing, and new states.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia fractured through crisis, nationalism, and war, collapsing violently in the 1990s.
The Soviets
From revolution to superpower, the Soviet Union rose, struggled internally, and collapsed in 1991.
The First World War
World War I reshaped empires, borders, and societies, setting the stage for World War II.
The Causes of the Second World War
From the flawed peace of 1919 to the invasion of Poland in 1939, this story traces the interlocking causes of the Second World War across two decades of crisis, ideology, and failed deterrence.
Origins of the Cold War
From the Grand Alliance to the Truman Doctrine, this story traces how the United States and Soviet Union shifted from wartime cooperation to global confrontation.
The World After The Cold War
From the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of China and global terrorism, this story traces the turbulent reshaping of the international order after 1991.
