Learn how war and political instability have wracked the Balkans from World War I to the fall of communism
Fighting disrupted life in the Balkans through most of the 20th century, from the start of the First World War to the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Created and produced by QA International. © QA International, 2010. All rights reserved. www.qa-international.comThe distribution of the seven continents.
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Transcript
[Music in]
NARRATOR: World War I was started in Sarajevo, when a young Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to the Austrian throne.
[Music out]
Similarly, the fall of communism, elsewhere in Europe celebrated with joy, triggered violent fighting in the Balkan region.
Yugoslavia fragmented into several smaller, unstable units. Thousands of refugees have been driven out of their homes and are on the move, facing an uncertain future.
For the people of this region, life is hard even when the fighting stops and the people return to their daily routines.
It is an unfortunate situation for a region that was already the least developed part of Europe.
NARRATOR: World War I was started in Sarajevo, when a young Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to the Austrian throne.
[Music out]
Similarly, the fall of communism, elsewhere in Europe celebrated with joy, triggered violent fighting in the Balkan region.
Yugoslavia fragmented into several smaller, unstable units. Thousands of refugees have been driven out of their homes and are on the move, facing an uncertain future.
For the people of this region, life is hard even when the fighting stops and the people return to their daily routines.
It is an unfortunate situation for a region that was already the least developed part of Europe.
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