Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages, in Cyrillic ???????????) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. Translated, the name means Land of the South Slavs (jug in the word Jugoslavija means south).

Yugoslavia during the Second World War

At 05:15 on April 6 1941, German, Italian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian forces attacked Yugoslavia. The Luftwaffe bombed Belgrade and other major Yugoslav cities. On April 17, representatives of Yugoslavia's various regions signed an armistice with Germany at Belgrade, ending eleven days of resistance against the invading German Wehrmacht. More than three hundred thousand Yugoslav officers and soldiers were taken prisoner.

Related Topics:
April 6 - 1941 - German - Italian - Hungarian - Bulgaria - Luftwaffe - Belgrade - April 17

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The Axis Powers occupied Yugoslavia and split it up. The Independent State of Croatia was established as a Nazi puppet-state, ruled by the Catholic fascist militia known as the Usta?e which actually came into existence in 1929, but was relatively limited in its activities until 1941. German troops occupied Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as part of Serbia and Slovenia, while other parts of the country were occupied by Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Italy.

Related Topics:
Axis Powers - Independent State of Croatia - Usta?e - 1929 - 1941 - Bosnia-Herzegovina - Serbia - Slovenia - Albania - Bulgaria - Hungary - Italy

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Yugoslavs opposing the Nazis organized resistance movements. Those inclined towards supporting the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia joined the Chetniks, a mostly Serb-composed nationalistic royalist guerilla led by Colonel Dra?a Mihajlovi?. Those inclined towards supporting the Communist Party (and against the King) joined the Yugoslav National Liberation Army, led by Josip Broz Tito, a Croatian member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.

Related Topics:
Nazi - Chetniks - Dra?a Mihajlovi? - Communist Party - Yugoslav National Liberation Army - Josip Broz Tito - Croatian

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The NLA initiated a guerrilla campaign which was developed into the largest resistance army in occupied Western and Central Europe. The Chetniks initially made notable incursions and were supported by the exiled royal government as well as the Allies, but soon started to collaborate with axis powers against NLA. After allies realised that Chetniks were helping Germans they ceased to support them.

Related Topics:
Guerrilla - Allies

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The German response to resistance movement was to punish the civil population by carrying out reprisal killings and by giving a free hand to the quisling forces of the Independent State of Croatia. This led to great civilian loss of life, principally but not exclusively among the Serbs of Bosnia and Croatia, whose populations provided a large portion of rebel formations. The estimated demographic loss was 1,700,000 individuals or 10% of the population of Yugoslavia.

Related Topics:
Independent State of Croatia - Demographic

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During the war, the communist-led partisans were de facto rulers on the liberated territories, and the NLA organized people's committees to act as civilian government. On November 25, 1942, the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia was convened in Biha?. The council reconvened on November 29, 1943 in Jajce and established the basis for post-war organisation of the country, establishing a federation (this date was celebrated as Republic Day after the war).

Related Topics:
Communist - Partisans - People's committee - November 25 - 1942 - Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia - Biha? - November 29 - 1943 - Jajce

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The NLA was able to expel the Axis from Serbia in 1944 and the rest of Yugoslavia in 1945. The Red Army aided in liberating Belgrade as well as some other territories, but withdrew after the war was over.

Related Topics:
1944 - 1945 - Red Army - Belgrade

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Westerner attempts to reunite the partisans, who denied supremacy of the old government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and the emigration loyal to the king, led to the Tito-?uba?i? Agreement in June 1944, however Tito was seen as a national hero by the citizens and so he gained the power in post-war independent communist state, starting as a prime minister.

Related Topics:
Kingdom of Yugoslavia - Tito-?uba?i? Agreement - 1944 - Communist - Prime minister

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