Product Description
Journalist Timothy Judah witnessed firsthand many of the most horrifying episodes of the war in former Yugoslavia while on assignment from 1990-1995.Judah offers here a history of the Serbs from medieval times to the present, combining a gripping personal description of the war with a skillful analysis of the historical and cultural context out of which it emerged.For this paperback edition Judah adds observations on the emergence of a more moderate Bosnian Serb leadership, and on the worrying signs of a possible new war, this time in Kosovo.Amazon.com Review
The recent war in Bosnia re-ignited ancient hatreds and led to acts of brutality that echoed World War II atrocities: large-scale massacres and "ethnic cleansing". Bosnian Serbs, aided by Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, systematically murdered, raped, and terrorized Bosnian Muslims as they strove to create a Greater Serbia. Now, journalist Tim Judah provides some perspective on the horrors of the Bosnian conflict with The Serbs. Make no mistake, Judah is not an apologist for Serbian excesses; rather, he aims to explicate the Balkans' long and violent history leading to this latest tragic conflict.

The Serbs begins with the establishment of a Serbian state in the Middle Ages,then follows Serb fortunes through ensuing centuries of conquest, conflict, and oppression. Ethnic cleansing in the Balkans is hardly unique to the Bosnian war; it has been a horrific element of all Balkan conflicts, and Judah convincingly argues that Serbian nationalism is an outgrowth of the Serbs' own sufferings as victims of ethnic cleansing in past conflicts.Anyone interested in current affairs--particularly in the Balkans--will find Tim Judah's The Serbs an engrossing and important exploration of the Bosnian conflict. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Important book, but somewhat biased against the Serbs
The books starts with the standard history of the Serbs, from ancient times to the Yugoslavia wars. As the time goes by, Judah takes an increasingly hostile opinion of the Serbs and their leaders.

So while the first parts are important and interesting stuff that is not much written about outside Europe, the later parts look like the Usual Serb Bashing writings.

From the book, you could think that Serbia during the 90's was only murderers, thieves and criminals.

The author laments that unlike the Bosnians and the Croats, the Serbs didn't greatly publicize their suffering, and that had a cost at the PR war. Well, unfortunately his research does nothing to compensate for this,as he didn't try to hard to present the Serbian suffering.

Serbs love to rewrite history
This is actually a pretty good book. Basic facts:
Since Serbs (aka as Servs) came from Russia in the 7th century they have only caused trouble. Their main problem is arrogance and underestimating others, namely the natives, the Albanians. Serbs will probably not like the book as it tells the truth about their xenophobic Orthodox Church and how it has supported genocide and Serbian concentration camps, but the truth is the truth.

Serbs have started: The First Balkan War (to get Albanian lands and Macedonia), The Second Balkan War (Turkey was their ally and they fought against Bulgaria), WWI, WWII (indirectly by starting WWI,) War against Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Other than the battles when Russia backed them, they have them all.

Their pride is the 1389 surrender to the Turks. To make peace they gave their Saint's daughter to the Sultan's harem, and they fought against Christians in Nicolisa, the Second Kosovo War and sent 1500 knights to help the Turks take Constantinople.

A good book
This is a book which presents a history of Serbs in objective manner. Some says it is anti-Serb, but this is not true. It only mentions good as well as dark spots in Serbian history. All periods in Serbian history are covered sufficiently enough, although the emphasis (about half of the book) is on violent dissolution of Yugoslavia. This imbalanced coverage would be a shortcoming if this was a general history of Serbs, yet as its name tells this is not only a book on Serbs but also on destruction of Yugoslavia. When he deals with this period, some events (for example, economy in Serbia, details on atrocities) are given perhaps too great coverage and it would be better if this space were devoted to earlier periods in Serbian history.
Nevertheless, it is a book well worth money for buying and time for reading it.

Miserable propaganda
Throwing usnuported by the facts claims about Serbs and intentionally distorting the truth - are the only marks of this book. Good for garbage bin, as somebody already mentioned here.

Devoid of historical seriousness or journalistic integrity
It is necessary to correct the current trend of public commentary, which tends, systematically, not to understand events in the former Yugoslavia but to construct a propagandistic version of Balkan rivalries, designed to validate the existing post-modern myths and prejudices. This book faithfully reflects the post-modern blinkers that its author has helped first create and then perpetuate in his "coverage" of the Wars of Yugoslav Succession. This book reflects his (and their) belief that the Orthodox nations of Southeast Europe - embodied in "the Serbs" - are The Other vis-a-vis "The West" in the Huntingtonian sense. The author's assumptions are prejudiced in a coarse, primordial manner.

Judah's mindset helps us understand why the problem of the Balkans under UN/EU/NATO/UNMIK/KFOR/SFOR. . . is inseparable from the quandary of America under the bipartisan regime inside the Beltway, or that of Europe "united" under the Leviathan of Brussels. This book unintentionally poses many questions, and answers none. Can any meaningful unity of nations sharing European heritage be restored? To what extent, how, and why has the modern, secular, "post-Christian" West inherited the antipathy of West to the carriers of the Byzantine tradition? How do those two traditions converge, and how do they diverge, amidst the continuing onslaught of globalized secularism? Such issues are not merely political. They are as much "cultural" as theological, and they have been political all along. It is on the way we deal with them today that the future of our civilization will depend, and it that endeavor Judah has decided to side with the bad guys.

A book is badly needed to counter Judah's prejudice and ignorance about an area of the Old Continent which need never be the "powder keg of Europe." Though the Balkans, however delineated, contain many states and even more nations, they have one thing in common: for most of history they have not been masters of their own fate, but objects of policy by dominant outside powers. Though depicted by Judah as aggressing against their neighbors and generating wider conflicts, the Serbs in most cases had these conflicts foisted upon them by powerful outsiders and their local minions.

In particular Judah's attempt to relativize the Ustasha genocide of some 500-700,000 Serbs is scandalous. Had the same apparatus of quasi-historical whitewash been applied to the victims of Treblinka, such book surely would not have seen the light of day - and rightly so.

Even if all history-as a philosopher argued-is in some measure contemporary history, it need not be dominated by the obsessions of the day. The cause of tolerance in a troubled region can never be advanced by misrepresentation or by the sentimental lapse of seriousness which judges one patriotism as admirable and condemns another as inadmissible. This book is found wanting on all fronts. ... Read more

Product Description
With the outbreak of war in the former Yugoslavia in 1991, interest in Balkan history has increased and become emotionally charged. This balanced and engagingly written history of Serbia will help readers to understand the complex web of Serbian history, politics, society, and culture and how the Serbs have dealt with the many political, military, and socioeconomic challenges in their history. It attempts to remove the veil of stereotypes and myths obscuring the significant details and developmental processes in the history of Serbia and in its relations with its neighbors. In addition to examining the political history of Serbia in the context of Central Europe, the author, a specialist in Balkan history, shows how societal and cultural developments affected Serbian history and reflected political and economic events. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excellent job
The book came 2 weeks earlier than said and it was in promissed (very good) condition. Excellent job!

Passable Introduction to Serbian History
With the difficulty of finding an introduction to Serbian history that is both brief and unbiased, this book should serve as a passable introduction to Serbian history.Cox does an excellent job of condensing a large and complex history into a very short space.

Unfortunately, much of the history is too condensed.Cox spends far too much time discussing recent events at the expense of the richness and variety of early Serbian history and the historical and ethnic connections between Serbs and other Slavs in Southeast Europe.Only about half the book covers the history of Serbia prior to the Twentieth Century.With so much material available and such an underemphasis on the older history of Serbia, I wonder if this book should be renamed "The Twentieth Century History of Serbia."

Cox also overcompensates when trying to keep individual pieces of history from being co-opted by nationalist Serbian propagandists.For instance, during his discussion of the Turkish practice of exacting a "blood tax" (Serbian children were taken from their parents and sent to Turkey to be raised as Muslim Turks), he opines that the practice shouldn't be viewed too negatively as it allowed poorer children to have more material goods.While this may be true, it is clear the Turks were not abducting children for altruistic purposes, nor am I convinced that many of the abductees' parents were happy with the practice.

While the book is not overly polemical, its lack of historical depth for the space available keeps it from being everything it can be.Still, it is a worthwhile and easy read for those needing a quick introduction to Serbian history. ... Read more

Product Description
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Product Description
On the eve of the Great War, which would plunge the Balkans into chaos, a Serbia in London, WOISLAV M. PETROVITCH (c. 1885-1934), attaché to the royal Serbian legation to the Court of St. James, published this straightforward and fact-filled valentine to the people of his homeland. With charming devotion, Petrovitch reveals:. the early history of Serbia and its "rise to greatness". the reign of King Alexander. the first and second Balkan wars. the ancient beliefs of the Bosnians. the traditional celebrations of Christmas and other holidays. the national epic poetry. and much more.Readers of Eastern European history and students of nationalistic propaganda will find this a fascinating resource ... Read more

Customer Reviews (56)

Phhilip Cohen Can't Even Read Serbian!
Had Mr. Cohen just called the book "Propaganda and the Deceit of History" and left Serbia off the title, it really would be an accurate title for this piece of complete nonsense which obfuscates the truth of WWII Serbian history.

Mr. Cohen is a dentist and not a historian, and can't even read the Serbian language nor even navigate the Cyrillic alphabet.How could he possibly "find hidden documents" that no other historian has ever seen before?Answer: He could't!

Phillip Cohen is a paid shill to produce anti-Serb, pro-Croat propaganda which a Jewish name on it.Given how many Jews and Serbs died at the hands of the WWII Croatian Ustashi and that the few Jews who survived were saved by Serbians, I have no idea how the author sleeps at night!

Very good account of Serbia role in the WW-s and more...
It's a very good book and very well documented... its also confirmed by serbian media (the normal ones)...

Its definitely not a propaganda but rather a well documented account of event from primary sources. If you know the Balkan circumstances you can find a lot of parallel with the recent wars (Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo) that have been initiated by Serbia...

Easy to read and always relying on facts and sources rather giving his own account and comments...

Anybody who wants to know what Serbia politics and role in the region has been, is and very much likely continue to be, this is a MUST read...

Another Bit of the Balkan's Bloody Past & Present
What is valuable about this work is the access to sources too long suppressed by authorities or ignored by scholars. But it should not be read as exculpating any guilt for crimes committed by others, nor does it justify blaming the Serbs for other than their own crimes. There's been too much misery meted out by all parties in the Balkans over the centuries for any exoneration to be due any one ethnicity or religion, with the exception of the Jews, or for blanket condemnation, either -- depending on the time and place, there simply appears to be a period, or several, where a people -- Serb, Croat, Italian, Bulgar, Magyar, Turk, German -- or the adherents of a religion -- Muslim, Orthodox, Calvinist or Catholic -- proved enlightened, ecumenical, heroic, benign, barbaric, rapacious, predatory, cruel, genocidal ... sometimes managing to manifest several opposing traits simultaneously.

What detracts from the work is positioning it as an "answer" to inflated claims about Ustasha actions in WWII -- and subsequent manipulation of those figures, and suppression of Chetnik and Partizan actions, by the ruling cadre of Tito's Yugoslavia, which was dominated politically by conservative, fascist elements of the Serbian army.

For a realistic, brief, non-political appraisal of the role of both WW2 Croatia and Serbia per the Jewish holocaust, see:

and


Finally, it must be recalled that until almost the end of the war the majority of the Partizans appear to have been Croats and Slovenes, with Serbs a distinct minority. This reflects the socialist organizing in the relatively industrialized north (Slovenia and Croatia) prior to WW2 versus the almost purely agrarian culture of the south (Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro). Of the three "indigenous" armed groups -- Ustasha/Croat, Chetnik/Serb, and Yugoslav/Partizan -- only the latter was largely not involved with collaborating with the Nazi/German and/or Fascist/Italian armies. And of course late in the war, especially after the liberation of Belgrade by the Red Army, the Partizans, too, found an allied army (the Soviet Union) to collaborate with ...

What the this means is simply that without going back to the Roman era, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, or even the 19th Century, we can find from WWI through the break-up of Yugoslavia and the 'ethnic cleansing' in Bosnia many bad and horrible crimes committed in the Balkans. The book in question helps supply a bit the facts needed to see the whole of that mosaic of horror. It does not excuse any expressions of malevolence, including the many outside the scope of its immediate subject.

Work of a propagandist
Looks like a commissioned propaganda written by a person without any academic ethics and knowledge of the history of 19th and 20eth century Serbia. My the only satisfaction is that I did not buy this book - borrowed it from a library, regretting the time I spent on reading of this book.

True facts about great-serbian propaganda !
This book discovers the true facts great-serbian propaganda always tried to sweep under the carpet. ... Read more

Product Description
The World has just witnessed a massive military action bythe United States in the Balkans.This military action has beencalled a 'just war' by the White House machine.But was it 'just' orwas it even a 'war'?Because the justification provided to the publicfor this military action seems so flimsy, numerous questions are beingraised throughout the world including within the U.S.Weren't theseAlbanians, which Washington has adopted, Hitler's SS Storm Troopers inthe Balkans during WW II while the Serbians were ferocious fightersagainst Hitler?What about the repressions going on every day inother countries?Why did the U.S. intervene only in Yugoslavia?Thisbook examines various theories being raised both in the U.S. and othercountries about the likely motivations behind this intervention.Italso describes the Serbian people within the historical context.Itexamines in detail concerns in many other countries which are ignoredby the power players in Washington and NATO.Finally it probes thequestion of whether the bombing of one sovereign country by anothersets a precedent for future action by the U.S. or against it andwhether Clinton and company may have stumbled into a sandbox too largefor their staying power and set back foreign policy not only to theCold War but to a new Frozen War. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Amazing!
This book is truly GREAT! The only people who will not like it, are ALBANIANS hidding from their Nazi past (those who are ashamed to say that they are Albanians, but call themselves KOSOVARS or ILYRIANS). This book is most detailed work on Kosovo, its people and its culture with a focus on Western actions and involment in this Serbian province. Serbs, the greates fighters against Fasizm in Balkans, are being ETHNICALLY CLEANSED since II World War by Albanians, who were running this province and who were fighting for Hitler....Author explains in detail history of both nations, Serbian and Albanian and relates it to the present situation. His knowledge is deep and his writting is clear and bursting with little known facts.....If you want to get to know Kosovo, do not miss this book.

This book iscrap
This book is crap and you can find out by the editorial review 'book description'. It says 'serbians have been fericious fighters against Hitler' - EXCUSE ME??? - 'What you know in comparison of what you dont - is nothing' - READ PHILIP J. COHEN's BOOK 'SERBIA's SECRET WAR' and then you'll get to learn how accurate this book is and also 'fericious serbian fighters against Hitler' who cooperated with him all the time.

Don't you just love DEMOCRACY, and the freedom of speech and publications??? I LOVE IT SO MUCH, it is the only way people and
writers such as the one of this book reveal their ugly true self, often for the sake of money.

EXCELLENT
Great book if you are a firm believer in the old saying; "there are two sides to a coin"

Greek Perspective
If was a marvelous book about NATO's unjustifiability in bombing a sovereign nation, Serbia.It paints a good portrait of Kosovar Albanians, and that they aren't peacful prairie dwellers.However, it would be nice to update this book, including the fact that the KLA, and its member are being funded and trained by Osama Bin Ladens networks. This book really covers every aspect of why this was an "unjust war".Every nation in the Balkans went through their nationalistic expansionistic era, unfortunately Albania didn't, and i guess they haven't learned from history either, so now they want a greater ALbania, and America supports this corrupt, undemocratic entity.

Petty Propoganda
It's amazing what can be accomplished bycoming to a conclusion first and then only paying attention to those few facts that support it.I bought this book with the thought, "know your enemy," and upon finishingit I now know what my enemy is.It is a malignant, pervasive ignorance ofthe facts.You can make Mother Theresa look like the anti-Christ if youreally attempt to and this is what Mr. Colombus is intent on.

Noteveryone in a people is a criminal because a few are Mr. Colombus.If thatwere the case the US would be a nation of murderers, rapists and conartists.While I'm sure this is the image you are intent on portraying,both of the US and the Kosovars, it is a blatant lie.

A people are notmartyrs simply because they feel persecuted Mr. Columbus.Too imply thatthey are is simply to feed the flames of ignorant paranoia which causedslaughter after slaughter in Yugoslavia. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1917.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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Product Description
Using his thirty years' experience in regional and city planning and cultural heritage within the territories of the former Yugoslavia, Prof. Branislav Krstic-Brano clearly explains the history and the complex causes and consequences of the ethnic and territorial conflict that erupted in bloody confrontation throughout Kosovo in the late nineties. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the author examines demographic changes; ethnic development of settlements; land ownership; Serbian and Albanian historical monuments, whose listing and preservation are regulated by international conventions; changes in state constitutions; the role of international law in resolving national disputes; and the great powers' strategy for dealing with the Kosovo crisis.

The crux of the problem, as Krstic-Brano shows, is that two peoples claim legitimate rights to the same territory: the Serbs claim a historical right and the Albanians counter that they have an ethnic one. Without favoring either side, the author presents the facts regarding the unique Serbian cultural heritage in the province and the rapid growth of the local Albanian population in the last four decades. Krstic-Brano illustrates how the great powers waged war but failed to ensure peace. He constructs a viable solution to the cultural, ethnic, and political strife - one that he hopes will satisfy both sides of the conflict. The author concludes on a cautiously optimistic note, arguing that the international community has a new opportunity to reconcile the Serbs and Albanians on the basis of population size, land ownership, and origin of cultural monuments.

This important work by a recognized expert in regional culture, urban planning, and politics should be read by everyone interested in a peaceful future for this long-troubled region. ... Read more

Product Description
Serbias have come and gone, and they have moved from place to place. This book looks at the historical forces, actors, ideas, and period which have molded the entities that go by the name "Serbia."In Serbia: The History of an Idea we learn about the medieval rulers and the church, the imperial rule of Ottomans and Hapsburgs, the two World Wars, the Yugoslav kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and, of course, modern Yugoslavia.

At the time of Serbia's emergence from the ruins of Tito's Yugoslavia and of Milosevic's regime, Stevan Pavlowitch shuns the "doomed to violence" and the "doomed to martyrdom" paradigms favored respectively by some Western and Serbian analysts in order to pose difficult questions about Serbian history.

Pavlowitch seeks to move forward from the past rather than look back to idealized ages or read history backwards from the last ten years. Serbia: The History of an Idea offers readers a look into the historical entities that have played a crucial, and sometimes devastating, role in the formation of Serbia, from the aftermath of Yugoslavia to its current political state. ... Read more

Product Description
Serbias have come and gone, and their boundaries have moved about. This text, rather than being a history, is an attempt to look at the historical forces, actors, ideas and periods which have moulded the entities that go by the name "Serbia". These are the mediaeval rulers and the church; the principality and the kingdom of modern times; the imperial rule of Ottomans and Habsburgs; the two world wars; the unification with other Slav populations and territories; the ideology of the three-named Yugoslav kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; that of the brotherhood-and-union of Yugoslav nations in the communist federation; and the disintegration of Yugoslavia and its aftermath. Following Serbia's emergence from the ruins of Tito's Yugoslavia and of Milosevic's regime, Stevan Pavlowitch strives to get away from both the "doomed-to-violence" and the "doomed-to-martyrdom" explanations favoured respectively by some Western and some Serbian interpreters. He seeks to pose questions rather than to provide answers, and to move forward from the past rather than to look back to idealized ages or read history backwards. ... Read more

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Published by the Allies' most respected historians on the eve of World War I, this book served as a backgrounder on one of Europe's key trouble spots. Still a superb overview of a region which remains unsettled to this day.

This masterfully crafted eBook faithfully preserves the 1916 revised second edition. It is fully-searchable and fully-printable. (254pp, 1.87 Mb) ... Read more

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This book is part of the Our Name in History series, a collection of fascinating facts and statistics, alongside short historical commentary, created to tell the story of previous generations who have shared this name.The information in this book is a compendium of research and data pulled from census records, military records, ships' logs, immigrant and port records, as well as other reputable sources. Topics include:

• Name Meaning and Origin
• Immigration Patterns and Census Detail
• Family Lifestyles
• Military Service History
• Comprehensive Source Guide, for future research

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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How does the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and his Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) remain in power? Since legitimizing its power in 1990, the SPS has never received a majority of votes in an election. Furthermore, it has been defeated in three military conflicts, produced more than 500,000 refugees, presided over the most extreme hyperinflation in modern times, and failed in its original defining promise to see "all Serbs in one state." In The Culture of Power in Serbia, Eric Gordy explores how the Milosevic government prolongs its tenure despite failures and setbacks that would have brought down most other regimes. Gordy finds the answer in everyday life. The Milosevic regime has largely succeeded in making alternatives to its rule unavailable. By controlling key aspects of daily life, including politics, media, and popular music, it has undermined opposition by closing off alternative voices. The result is an atmosphere in which people feel they have lost control over their private life and cultural environment. Nevertheless, Gordy finds reason to be optimistic about the long-term prospects for Serbia. The regime's forays into popular music have largely failed, and it has had only partial success in controlling the media, suggesting that the present strategy will not work forever. In Gordy's judgment, the Milosevic regime has a limited future. The Culture of Power in Serbia provides fresh perspective for readers interested in contemporary Eastern Europe, in the strategies and tactics of authoritarian regimes, in the sociology of everyday life, and in the political potential of culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Universally significant - not just a book about Serbia
Gordy identifies the methods by which the Milosevic regime, which obviously provided few benefits to its people, nonetheless maintained its power.Gordy identifies these methods as the "destruction of alternatives-" the removal of alternative political ideas, or of cultural institutions, such as popular music, that would enable individuals to unite in thought in a manner distinct from, and therefore threatening to, the regime.

This is indeed quite valuable to students of Yugoslavia or Eastern Europe; its broader value, however, is its contribution to the larger issues of power studied by sociologists and political scientists.How is power maintained?We frequently assume that individuals will revolt if conditions are so bad they have nothing to lose.Gordy documents the ability of the powerful to actually take away this option.Most mechanisms, such as cencorship, make revolt more difficult, raising the pain level people will tolerate; however, by keeping the more politically savvy urbanites near starvation, the regime actually compromised their very ability to express dissent.

Gordy provides an academic and, to the degree it is possible in social science, empirical explanation of power that is profoundly disturbing; sometimes it may be impossible to displace the powerful.True, outside forces crippled the regime; but what does this suggest about the American line that local groups should revolt to demonstrate support for democracy and earn military support?Don't throw it out yet, but Gordy presents an important argument.It also helps explain the success of earlier brutal regimes; Haile Selassie used similar techniques far more adeptly, and therefore more brutally, in Ethiopia.This book is both an insightful analysis of the Serbian regime's tactics and a significant study of the nature of power.

Top-notch research and writing
Gordy's basic premise is that the rather unpopular, corrupt and war-mongering regime controlled by Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia during the 1990s retained its hold on power by eliminating any meaningful alternatives to itself. He provides a very detailed account of how this was done in the fields of culture, politics, the media and the economy. Since the book was written and published in 1999, when Milosevic was still in power in Serbia, the basic question posed by the study, i.e. how does he manage to stay in power, should be replaced with how did he manage to stay in power so long? Otherwise, this is a vitally important study, as the matters Gordy covers here illuminate many aspects of political culture in Serbia during the 1990s - and help readers understand the country's current political malaise as well. Despite the many changes that have occurred since Milosevic's fall from power, the legacy of the `destruction of alternatives' he helped institute will continue to dog Serbian society for years to come (and, looking over the fence from Croatia, I have to add: just as the legacy of Franjo Tudjman still haunts and troubles Croatian society today and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future).

Turbo Folk and the Cut-Out Bin of History
Struggling to understand how Slobodan Milosevic managed to tighten his grip on power in Serbia despite a disasterous decade of war and economic decline?Or would you just like to know why authoritarian regimes produce such terrible pop music?Eric Gordy's "Culture of Power in Serbia: Nationalism and the Destruction of Alternatives" is a good place to start for both questions.Though written before the war in Kosovo and Milosevic's subsequent fall from power, the book provides a useful framework for understanding both the durability of his regime and the fragility of its popular support.Prof. Gordy argues that Milosevic maintained power not through any skill in governing (the record on that score is pretty clear), but by systematically dismantling any alternatives that Serbian civil society could muster.As one would expect, Gordy covers in some detail Milosevic's attempts to co-opt, stifle and crush rival political parties and media organizations.What is unique about this book is the long chapter devoted to the underground music scene in Belgrade.The regime rightly perceived a threat to its political as well as cultural dominance, and rallied its forces behind a smarmy concoction dubbed "Turbo Folk".... This musical atrocity does not, of course, compare to those committed in Bosnia and Kosovo, but it is a chilling read nonetheless.Gordy clearly brings a mastery of Serbo-Croatian literary and musical idiom to this section.One wishes only that the book were accompanied by a CD.Though written from a sociological perspective, this book is full of lively if understated prose, and offers much to engage the non-specialist and general reader. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was written in 1915.This was a time that saw many significant events that affected the Balkans.Written by four different authors from different locations, here is their preface to “The Balkans”.

PREFACE

The authors of this volume have not worked in conjunction. Widely separated, engaged on other duties, and pressed for time, we have had no opportunity for interchange of views. Each must be held responsible, therefore, for his own section alone. If there be any discrepancies in our writings (it is not unlikely in so disputed a field of history) we can only regret an unfortunate result of the circumstances. Owing to rapid change in the relations of our country to the several Balkan peoples, the tone of a section written earlier may differ from that of another written later. It may be well to state that the sections on Serbia and Bulgaria were finished before the decisive Balkan developments of the past two months. Those on Greece and Rumania represent only a little later stage of the evolution. That on Turkey, compiled between one mission abroad and another, was the latest to be finished.

If our sympathies are not all the same, or given equally to friends and foes, none of us would find it possible to indite a Hymn of Hate about any Balkan people. Every one of these peoples, on whatever side he be fighting to-day, has a past worthy of more than our respect and interwoven in some intimate way with our history. That any one of them is arrayed against us to-day is not to be laid entirely or chiefly at its own door. They are all fine peoples who have not obtained their proper places in the sun. ... Read more

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This book examines the Habsburg Army's occupation of Serbia from 1914 through 1918. This occupation ran along a distinctly European-centered trajectory radically different from other great power colonial projects or occupations during the 20th century. Unlike these projects and occupations, the Habsburg Army sought to denationalize and depoliticize Serbia, to gradually reduce the occupation's violence, and to fully integrate the country into the Empire. These aims stemmed from 19th-century conservative and monarchical convictions that compelled the Army to operate under broad legal and civilizational constraints. Gumz's research provides a counterpoint to interpretations of the First World War that emphasize the centrality of racially inflected, Darwinist worldviews in the war. ... Read more