War-Torn Croatia Shaped My World View
Tito & Partisan Monument 1949
Radovan Karadzic, one of the worlds most wanted war criminals, was arrested in Belgrade on Monday for his involvement with atrocities committed during the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Though there have been indictments regarding war crimes of individuals on all sides of the conflict, Karadzic was at the top of the list by his implication in the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 in which 8,000 Muslim males were executed.
I lived in Croatia, when it was part of Yugoslavia in 1980 and have been there many times since. In school, we had a class on Marxism. On warm days, the teacher would pace barefoot up and down the classroom espousing the virtues of communism and dialectic thinking. The country was neither east nor west, but it had an endearing culture and natural beauty regardless of the political system.
I traveled to Croatia in 1993 and the ravages of war made an impression on me about the importance of stability and peace for humanity. I had never seen a bomb crater up close. An artillery shell not only punches a hole in a wall, it sprays deadly shrapnel that pockmarks around the hit. It was terrible to see homes collapsed. And people were scarred too. Many lost loved ones and deep anger compelled some to settle scores thus creating a downward spiral of violence.
This experience, along with my political work after Nirvana, shaped my world view tremendously. We’ve got a good thing going here in the U.S. There are no militias coming. We can work to change our political system without persecution. Things are not perfect but neither are they dire for most of us.
Revolution means turning or rotating. History shows us that social order could go upside down with civil liberties suffering in the vacuum of revolution. Better to work for change in a stable system like we have in the U.S.
A Brief History of Yugoslavia, By Krist Novoselic
The name Yugoslavia means “South Slav-ia”. The term represented the idea of uniting the six Slavic peoples of southern Europe: Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, Serbs, Macedonians and Montenegrins. The Yugoslavian idea was instituted after the First World War when the victors carved up the Austro-Hungarian empire. The King of Serbia was made King of the larger nation of the new Yugoslavia.
Ethnic resentments resulted within this arrangement. When the Wehrmacht rolled through in 1941, the occupiers created a Nazi puppet state with the "independent” Croatia. Fascist Croatians fought against royalist Serbs and many atrocities were committed against all kinds of people.
Josip Broz Tito was the leader of the communist resistance to Nazi occupation. He was half Croat and Slovene. Tito’s Partisan forces fought the occupiers and their supporters. The Nazi defeat in 1945 was heralded both as a triumph over fascism and the Yugoslavian communist revolution. The new Yugoslavia was declared a socialist republic. In 1949, Tito, now head of state, split from Stalin and Yugoslavia existed independent of the Kremlin’s Iron Curtain.
Socialist Yugoslavia put a lid on internal tensions by suppressing ethnic expression and promoting a new pan-nationalism rooted in celebrating the "heroic" triumph over fascism and the people’s revolution. Almost every town square featured a monument to the partisan fighters of WWII. Tito’s image was everywhere and this cult of personality was an integral part of promoting Yugoslav nationalism.
Socialist Yugoslavia experienced peace and relative prosperity in the post-war period. Tito died in 1980.
Four decades of Soviet-style communism came crashing down with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Even though Eastern Europe was saturated with statues of Vladimir Lenin, the wall was the defining monument to the political, economic and social system of communism rooted in the Russian Bolshevik insurrection of 1917.
Even though independent of Moscow, socialist Yugoslavia couldn’t avoid the fallout of this change. Tito’s cult of personality, a decade after his passing, along with the lore of partisan heroism, didn’t hold up anymore. The collapse of the Soviet sphere, along with the country's struggling economy created an opening for separatists. In 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared independence. Eventually, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina declared likewise.
The separation was violent. The worst fighting was in eastern Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, places where there was a mix in ethnicity. Summary executions, rape, and other atrocities were common. Some thrived in the vacuum of lawlessness. Militia leaders became warlords over the areas they controlled. The memories of WWII ethnic strife were conjured with nationalist symbols resurrected by rival militias. Karadzic, a vicious opportunist, thrived in these conditions.
Like most of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia wants to integrate with the west. Handing over criminals like Karadzic is an important step with moving forward. After all the pain and misery, it’s ironic that the south Slav people are working toward reuniting in another federation: the European Union.
Photo: Krist Novoselic
17 comment(s)
Taryn G. says:
Very interesting...thanks for the geopolitical history snapshot. Makes me want to understand the European Union as well. I agree with the need to work for reforms rather than "revolutions"...revolutions don't seem to work as well as a unified non-violent consensus by a huge coalition of people may.
Many people in the U.S. are frustrated by the liars and thieves that have been holding the powerseats. I believe it is time to figure out how to fight corporatist influences that undermine the values of a nation of people.
That being said electoral reform on a national level is a must...the big hurdle is how to get independent and 3rd party candidates to a viable level for the highest seats in the land. Furthermore, gaining representation that really reflects the majority's values in local and state elections would help to create this ground swell.
Thanks again for inspiring further thought in me:)
Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 22 2008 @ 11:04PM
Jeff says:
Wait a minute!! I thought Krist said that in the early 80's he lived in Washington and listened to punk rock. Now he says that in the early 80's he lived in the Soviet Union? Strange.
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 23 2008 @ 8:18PM
Elvis says:
So what are you trying to say Jeffery?
Same here for the inspiration Krist, my last post I went off half cocked. I took time on this post and thought it out a little:
The idea of America and the actual truth are the diffence between an ant hill and Cotapaxi. To undertand America's perdicament we must understand the nature of evil as well as a bit of history to fully digest the signifigance of "We the People" as free men and women and the land upon that which we stand. Let us simply define evil as the opposite of what is righteous and history as predictable in the light of the truth but only to be discovered by the intellectually curious. "We’ve got a good thing going here in the U.S." I would say we are on the presipice, a time in the history that will decide if man will be free or put back in bondage as is the story through out history. That, if not attended to with the utmost urgency those that deal in iniquitiy that capture and convict the innocent before the cock crows thrice will most certainly, if left unbridled, kill or enslave those in it's path and my friends America is in its path. "There are no militias coming" To thus Krist I must with all due respect reply, they're already here and observing the mercanaries that call themselve law enforcement agents hired by our traitorous federal government to tasor the remaining breath of free speech and liberties out of "WE the People". The peace officer has been extirpated, the last vestige of freedom is the American militia and 2nd Amendment (the right to bare arms). The bravery of the militia in the mid 16th Century brought us to this pivitol point in history and it's not turning or rotating it's dug in. Give me liberty or give my death!
“For I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Thomas Jefferson (Christian, Muslim or Jewish tyranny)
Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 24 2008 @ 4:06PM
Ed Whitson says:
So it was a good thing that the US got militarily involved there during the 1990s.
Posted On: Friday, Jul. 25 2008 @ 10:37AM
Jim says:
Dober Dan Krist.. I have been waiting for this post since you started writing here.. I was always thinking that one of the reasons your involvement in politics seems so promising is that you are one of the very few Americans in modern-day politics with first-hand experience of a severely different political system (if not the only one).
The Balkans have a long history of political unrest which is still evident. Most of the ex-Yugoslav states are still fighting to overcome the shadow of the war. People in countries with no such problems often never think this is actually something that can happen!
How do you feel about foreign involvement in the Balkan matters though? I would be very interested in a post about this. Starting from the break-up of Yugoslavia to Kosovo's declaration of independence, do you think it has always been useful and helpful that the West has interfered to such an extent?
Looking forward to reading more on this. Hvala.
Posted On: Saturday, Jul. 26 2008 @ 2:26PM
gui says:
I'm brazilian , here in brazil,we cannot see this kind of things cuz our government it's very closed to other countries , I'm studying economy at the university , and in the next year we gonna have ECONOMIC MARXIST TEORY ,the world need to see what's happen hide of them.
ow ,I have seen a dvd about nirvana I have ,and there's a video with you inside the bathroom recording by a camera.It's so much funny.
dON'T STOP PLAY , MUSIC IS LIFE.
BYE.
Posted On: Saturday, Jul. 26 2008 @ 7:19PM
gui says:
I'm brazilian , here in brazil,we cannot see this kind of things cuz our government it's very closed to other countries , I'm studying economy at the university , and in the next year we gonna have ECONOMIC MARXIST TEORY ,the world need to see what's happen hide of them.
ow ,I have seen a dvd about nirvana I have ,and there's a video with you inside the bathroom recording by a camera probably in the airplane.It's so much funny.
dON'T STOP PLAY , MUSIC IS LIFE.
BYE.
Posted On: Saturday, Jul. 26 2008 @ 7:29PM
Tara says:
I'm so glad I came upon this story. Your experience and insights on this sensitive corner of Europe are invaluable. After visiting Croatia myself, the history of the Balkans has become a particular interest of mine. Thank you so much for writing this and as another commenter said, I look forward to hearing more from you on this topic.
Taryn G, either you did not read the article or you are challenged geopraphically - probably both. Croatia and the ex-Soviet Union are two completely different places - check it out sometime ;)
Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 29 2008 @ 12:25PM
Tara says:
My apologies to Taryn G! It was Jeff's comment I was referring to - not yours. Terribly sorry about that.
Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 29 2008 @ 5:28PM
Ivana says:
Hi, I am from Zagreb , Croatia, and I am glad that we have our people around the world who cares about that!
Thank you!
Pozdrav!
Posted On: Tuesday, Aug. 12 2008 @ 4:58AM
Matko says:
Bok, Kriste!
Another one from Zagreb.
An interesting point of view you've got there. I agree with 99,9 % of it, and that's not a little, you gotta admit.
It's a shame that, in Croatia nowadays, we almost have to hide it if our grandfathers were partisans, as if it wasn't the most honourable path to choose in the very beginning of 1940's. Sure, unfortunate events at the end of WWII, Tito's rule and wars that followed cast a shadow upon the idea of Yugoslavia and its execution, but it does not make the fight against the pure evil fascism represents a bit less noble.
The same goes for Croatians and Bosnians defending themselves in 1990's, in spite of the fact that there's no 100 % black or white and that misfortunate things happen to people on all "sides" in such situations.
In the end, there are no real sides, only people who go great lengths to remain as normal and decent as possible... and those who unfortunately do not succeed in it, or - even worse - don't even bother to flee the dark side.
As for the US of A, they should've intervened (politically or militarily) much, much earlier, and tens of thousands of lives might've been saved. However, by now we all know things don't work that way...
Posted On: Monday, Aug. 18 2008 @ 3:20PM
Matko says:
Bok, Kriste!
Another one from Zagreb.
An interesting point of view you've got there. I agree with 99,9 % of it, and that's not a little, you gotta admit.
It's a shame that, in Croatia nowadays, we almost have to hide it if our grandfathers were partisans, as if it wasn't the most honourable path to choose in the very beginning of 1940's. Sure, unfortunate events at the end of WWII, Tito's rule and wars that followed cast a shadow upon the idea of Yugoslavia and its execution, but it does not make the fight against the pure evil fascism represents a bit less noble.
The same goes for Croatians and Bosnians defending themselves in 1990's, in spite of the fact that there's no 100 % black or white and that misfortunate things happen to people on all "sides" in such situations.
In the end, there are no real sides, only people who go great lengths to remain as normal and decent as possible... and those who unfortunately do not succeed in it, or - even worse - don't even bother to flee the dark side.
As for the US of A, they should've intervened (politically or militarily) much, much earlier, and tens of thousands of lives might've been saved. However, by now we all know things don't work that way...
All the best!
Posted On: Monday, Aug. 18 2008 @ 3:22PM
Daniela Mitric says:
Bok Kriste...zivim isto u Washingtonu, blizu tebe. Sve najbolje...
Posted On: Tuesday, Sep. 16 2008 @ 10:56AM
Daniela Mitric says:
Bok Kriste...zivim isto u Washingtonu, blizu tebe. Sve najbolje...
Posted On: Tuesday, Sep. 16 2008 @ 10:56AM
kirsti says:
hey, this has nothing to do with croatia. i am just curious if you ever wonder about what happened in maine?
Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 8 2008 @ 6:47PM
OrganonFire says:
Hey Kirsti, what happened in Maine?
Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 18 2008 @ 1:16PM
John Ceperich says:
Hi Krist,
Thanks for sharing your perspective on the history of Jugoslavia. My mother is from there and growing up here in Indiana I was surrounded by Yugoslav/American culture.
Sundays meant watching a weekly show recorded from Belgrade called Yugoslavia and I just remember that everyone seemed really serious. Watching pro wrestling and sports also meant making a big deal if someone was "nash".
In the early 90s I worked with the government alocating grant money and was it felt like I was being tested to see if I was sincere in trying to maximize federal funding for environmental projects at the expense of funding going to aid the war in Bosnia. Frequently our contractors were the Army Corps of Engineers. No one talks about it anymore, but back then SUPERFUND sites had a budget as big as our militaries and a disgusting portion of it went to bureucratic attorneys.
I did as best as I could. Then I got turned onto Nirvana and tuned out.
Recently I discovered that our "Let the industries regulate themselves" Environmental Commissioner (who had no college degree but used to be John Glenn's secretary)resigned to work for Enron (the company with a crooked E). The overseer for entire USEPA Region V also resigned, renounced his US citizenship and became the president of his native Lituania.
Posted On: Wednesday, Sep. 23 2009 @ 6:43PM