The Balkans in Modern History

Pre-requisites: No specific requirements

Course objectives: Familiarizing with specifics of Balkans post-war history and general inability of economies, states and societies in the Balkans to get rid of development principle where strata of traditional heritage, preserved due to lagging in modernization and democratization, and those of totalitarian influences, primarily that of USSR and political religion.

Course description: The subject will follow Balkans history in its entirety, turning towards specific examples. Lecturing consists of 12 topic units, chronologically covering period from post-war to recent history of the Balkans: European "Third World". The Balkans in post-war European history (1945-1989); Origin and character of Balkan communism and Balkan regimes under Soviet influence; European idea and the Balkans in 1950s; 1960s: reform attempts; 1970s: renewal of Soviet and national discourse in Yugoslavia, and return to political violence; Greece, Turkey and "Third Wave"; Eastern European "National communism" and crises in 1980s; Economical development, institutional reforms and social issues in Western Balkans; Yugoslavia: economy, state and society; Post-communist Balkans: nationalism after communism; Balkans in new millennium: transition and European integrations; Balkans in new millennium: unresolved issues. Ex-cathedra lecturing is combined with discussions and case analyses. Changes are envisaged according to students affinities, i.e. choice of graduation paper topics.

Learning Outcomes: Acquiring insight and critical opinion on one specific case of development of economy, state and society in European "Third world".

Literature/Reading:

• Gallagher, Tom (2000), ‘Nationalism and democracy in South-East Europe’, in Gallagher, T. and Pridham, G. (eds), Experimenting with Democracy: Regime Change in the Balkans.
• Bugajski, Janusz (1994), Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe, New York: M.E. Sharpe.
• Dragovic-Soso, Jasna (2002), Saviours of the Nation: Serbia’s Intellectual Opposition and the Revival of Nationalism, London: Hurst & Co.
• Dyker, David (2003), ‘The Serbian economy’, Central and South-Eastern Europe, 2003, London and New York: Europa Publications.
• Bellamy, Alex (2002), Kosovo and International Society, Houndsmill: Palgrave.
• Daalder, Ivo H. (2001), ‘Are the United States and Europe heading for divorce?’, International Affairs, Vol. 77, No. 3.
• Clark, Wesley (2001a), Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future of Combat, Oxford: Public Affairs Ltd.
• Cohen, Lenard J. (2001), Serpent in the Bosom: The Rise and Fall of Slobodan Milomevic, Boulder and Oxford: Westview Press.
• Constas, Dimitri and Papasotiriou, Charalambos (1999), ‘Greek policy responses to the post-Cold War Balkan environment’ in Coufoudakis, Van et al. (eds)
• Albright, Madeleine (2003), Madame Secretary: A Memoir, London: Macmillan
• Ali, Tariq (2000), Masters of the Universe: NATO’s Balkan Crusade, London: Verso. London: Routledge.
• Caplan Daalder, Ivo and O’Hanlon, Michael (2000), Winning Ugly: NATO’s War To Save Kosovo, Washington, DC: Brookings Institute.
• Michael, Drezov, Kyril and Gokay, Bulent (eds), Kosovo: Myths, Conflict & War, London: Frank Cass.
• Greece and the New Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities, New York: Pella Publishing Company.
• Drezov, Kyril (ed.) (2001), ‘Collateral damage: the impact on Macedonia of the Kosovo war’, in Waller, Michael, Drezov, Kyril and Gokay, Bulent (eds), Kosovo: Myths, Conflict &War, London: Frank Cass.