History of Yugoslavia

The book "The Complete History of Yugoslavia" by Marie-Janine Calic provides a comprehensive synthesis of the political, cultural, social, and economic life of Yugoslavia from its nineteenth-century South Slavic origins to its bloody demise in the 1990s. It emphasizes major social, economic, and intellectual changes and presents a balanced interpretation of events, highlighting the agency of twentieth-century modern mass society in the politicization of differences. The book also describes the experiences and emotions of ordinary people in a vivid way, providing scholars and learned readers with an accessible, trenchant, and authoritative introduction to Yugoslavia's complex history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 457 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2019
Publisher: Purdue University Press

The Complete History of Yugoslavia is a comprehensive synthesis of the political, cultural, social, and economic life of Yugoslavia, from its nineteenth-century South Slavic origins to the bloody demise of the multinational state in the 1990s. In this book, Marie-Janine Calic takes a fresh and innovative look at the colorful, multifaceted, and complex history of Yugoslavia, emphasizing major social, economic, and intellectual changes from the turn of the twentieth century and the transition to modern industrialized mass society. She traces the origins of ethnic, religious, and cultural divisions, applying the latest social science approaches, and drawing on the breadth of recent state-of-the-art literature to present a balanced interpretation of events that takes into account the differing perceptions and interests of the actors involved.

Uniquely, Calic frames the history of Yugoslavia for readers as an essentially open-ended process, undertaken from a variety of different regional perspectives with varied composite agendas. She shuns traditional, deterministic explanations that notorious Balkan hatreds or any other kind of exceptionalism are to blame for Yugoslavias demise, and along the way, she highlights the agency of twentieth-century modern mass society in the politicization of differences. Additionally, while analyzing nuanced political and social-economic processes, Calic describes the experiences and emotions of ordinary people caught up in the tumultuous events of the twentieth century.

The book is organized into five chapters, each covering a different period of Yugoslav history. The first chapter provides an overview of the region's history, from the early medieval period to the end of World War I. The second chapter explores the rise of nationalism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a particular focus on the role of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in the formation of Yugoslavia. The third chapter examines the interwar period, which was marked by political instability, economic decline, and the rise of fascism in Europe. The fourth chapter explores the Second World War and the Holocaust, with a particular focus on the role of Yugoslavia in the resistance movement and the fate of its Jewish population. The fifth chapter examines the postwar period, which was marked by the emergence of communism and the Cold War, and the eventual demise of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Throughout the book, Calic employs a variety of sources, including primary documents, secondary literature, and personal accounts, to provide a rich and detailed account of Yugoslav history. She also incorporates social science theories and methodologies to analyze the political, economic, and social processes that shaped Yugoslavia's history. The book is accessible to a wide range of readers, including students, scholars, and general readers interested in the history of the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

In conclusion, The Complete History of Yugoslavia is a valuable contribution to the field of history, providing a comprehensive and nuanced account of the political, cultural, social, and economic life of Yugoslavia from its nineteenth-century origins to the 1990s. Marie-Janine Calic's innovative approach to the history of Yugoslavia emphasizes the agency of ordinary people and the complex social, economic, and political processes that shaped the region's history. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

Weight: 712g
Dimension: 157 x 232 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781557538383