1. A T A L E O F T W O C O M M U N I S T S T A T E S
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia

2. Previously
 Czechoslovakia was a two state country made up of
people called Czechs and Slovaks.
 After World War II, it fell behind the Iron Curtain.
 The two groups of people rarely got along.

3. After the Fall of Communism….
 Problems immediately surfaced when the Soviet Union
fell.
 During the elections of 1990 and 1992, their first free
elections, things became especially heated.
 At the same time, Czech and Slovak nationalism
increased.

4. Czechoslovakia No More!
 In order to deal with the
increasing tensions, the
government agreed to
peacefully divide the
country into two: the
Czech Republic and
Slovakia.

5. Yugoslavia
 Similar to
Czechoslovakia, Yugoslav
ia was composed of
different groups that did
not get along.
 The country also
split, but it did not do so
peacefully.

6. Tito….not to be confused with Toto….
 Yugoslavia was composed of
six republics before it split
apart.
 In 1945, communists took
over the country led by
Marshall Tito.
 Suppressed peoples’ rights
and freedoms.
 When he died in 1980, the
country began to fall apart
as people began to demand
economic freedom and
nationalism grew.

7. Yugoslavian Meltdown
 Inspired by the
revolutions in Poland
and Hungary against
communism, the six
republics of Yugoslavia
began demanding
change.
 The Yugoslav
Communist Party split
along ethnic (cultural)
lines.
 SOME republics gave
people the right to vote.

8. Independence
 The Communist police cracked down on people
using these new freedoms.
 But it was too late and the country began splitting.
 Four countries soon split off:
 Slovenia
 Macedonia
 Croatia
 Bosnia-Herzegovina

9. Serbia and Montenegro
 The last major state of Yugoslavia was called Serbia
and Montenegro.
 The two-state country was led by Slobodan
Milosevic.
 Like Hitler, he practiced ethnic cleansing (think:
holocaust).
 When he was arrested, the country split in two in
2006. The countries became Serbia AND
Montenegro.