The Balkans: Revolution, War, and Political Violence since 1878(Zones of Violence)

The Balkans has long been a place of encounter among different peoples, religions, and civilizations, resulting in a rich cultural tapestry and mosaic of nationalities. But it has also been burdened by a traumatic post-colonial experience. The transition from traditional multinational empires to modern nation-states has been accompanied by large-scale political violence that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the permanent displacement of millions more. Mark Biondich examines the origins of these conflicts, while treating the region as an integral part of modern European history, shaped by much the same forces and intellectual impulses. It reminds us that political violence and ethnic cleansing have scarcely been unique to the Balkans. As Biondich shows, the political violence that has bedevilled the region since the late nineteenth century stemmed from modernity and the ideology of integral nationalism, employed by states that were dominated by democratizing or authoritarian nationalizing elites committed to national homogeneity. Throughout this period, the Balkan proponents of democratic governance, civil society, and multiculturalism were progressively marginalized. The history of revolution, war, political violence, and ethnic cleansing in the modern Balkans is above all the story of this tragic marginalization.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1: Nations, Nationalism and Violence in the Balkans 2: From Berlin to Lausanne: The End of Empire and the Demarcation of National Communities, 1878-1923 3: Democracy, Dictatorship and War, 1923-1945 4: Communism, Nationalism and Political Violence, 1945-1989 5: War and Transition since 1989 Conclusion: Whither the Balkans? Chronology Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Mark Biondich is an Adjunct Research Professor at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where he teaches on the Balkans and nationalism and ethnic conflict. The author of Stjepan Radic, the Croat Peasant Party and the Politics of Mass Mobilization, 1904-1928 (2000), he is currently completing a history of Croatian fascism.

Review :
Because of its contemporary bibliography and strong synthesis, this is an extremely useful work for understanding modern Balkan conflict and for projecting the future of the region. the strengths of this book are considerable ... Biondich has produced a thought-provoking synthetic treatment of modern Balkan history that deserves a wide readership among all scholars and policy analysts with interests in better understanding of the region. Biondich gives a comprehensive overview of the implications of nationalism on the wider political development of the Balkans and of the relevance of multiple actors, ranging from the international influence of the Great Powers to the domestic role of the churches ... The book challenges conventional understandings of the political violence in the Balkans (e.g., Kaplan 1994), while providing a rich overview of the European political transformations over two centuries and their implications for the Balkans ... Biondich's book contributes to the deconstruction of widely held beliefs. This is a useful monograph. It deals essentially with the development of modern nationalism in a remoter part of Europe. Based on extensive knowledge, it offers students a sound interpretation and the possibility of wider reading on a part of our continent that is becoming less remote by the day. Biondich has produced a meticulously researched work that integrates a large corpus of literature on the Balkan region with the cutting edge of scholarship on violence, nationalism, and war ... This is a stimulating topic, which has been treated in a stimulating way in Biondichs excellent book. The Balkans is a most welcome addition to existing literature on state formation, nationalism, and violence in the Balkans. The breath of the study is impressive ... The book should, as such, not only appeal to professional students of the Balkans and to students of political violence, it should also appeal to those in the wider public who have an interest in understanding how and why the Balkans are simply one of Europe's many "zones of violence". [The book is] surprisingly concise, but at the same time quite eloquent and readable. Mark Biondich's book represents a fresh elaboration on the presence of nationalism in the Balkans and its relevance for the post-1878 political developments.