The Dissolution of Yugoslavia: Competing Narratives of Resentment and Blame

Serbs, Croats, Kosovar Albanians, and Bosniaks remember the past differently and, although there are differences of historical memory within each group, one can speak of there being a dominant but evolving historical narrative among each of these national groups. This diversity of historical memory creates resources which may be tapped by ambitious leaders. In accounting for the Yugoslav meltdown, however, one may identify three necessary conditions which were fulfilled: widespread discontent (itself reflecting system illegitimacy and economic deterioration), fracture lines along which the country might be dissolved, and leaders prepared to exploit discontent for their own purposes.