A few years ago I became interested in the difficulties in the former Yugoslavia--now Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, and a few other entities. After reading a number of contemporary works about the causes of past and current conflicts in the Balkans, I decided none of the authors agreed on every point or many points for that matter, and most seemed a bit biased in their reporting and interpretation of events, probably owing to their inability to attend to the terrible events of the last century and not choose sides.

THE EARLY MEDIEVAL BALKANS is the most objective work available about what really happened all those years ago when the Byzantine Empire ruled what is now known as the Balkans, and Serbs, Croatians, Ottoman Turks, and others migrated and/or invaded and settled the area the Italian Romans called Illyria.

The book is part of a two-part work covering the Middle Ages in the Balkans. Part I THE EARLY MEDIEVAL BALKANS includes a critical survey of the area from the Sixth to the late Twelfth Century. Part II THE LATE MEDIEVAL BALKANS covers the period from the late Twelfth Century until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in the 14th Century. Fine was a Professor of History at the University of Michigan for a number of years, and his work is incredibly scholarly. He has been considered the leading expert in the world on this topic by his colleagues.

I came away from the work with two impressions. The first is that the various ethnic groups who inhabited or invaded the Balkans (and there were so many one loses count after awhile as they migrate or remigrate over and over) were so thoroughly mixed during the Middle Ages that the indigenous tribe, whatever that was, must have disappeared thousands of years ago. The second fact I deduced from Dr. Fine's work is that most if not all the animosity between groups today probably has a basis in religious conflict. Given that the three major religions involved -- Roman Catholic, Orthodox Serb, and Muslim advocate love as an organizing principle, one has to wonder what went wrong.

I gave this book 4 stars because it is difficult to read. For a more "fun" read try the series on Byzantium by J.J.Norwich.

I am from Bosnia, of mixed ethnic origins, and after 7 years of exile, I had only faint memories of the history classes dedicated to the Middle Ages (in the 6th grade). This book refreshed my memory, brought a part my past back to me, and helped clear up some misconceptions. It makes me very happy to own it!

This is a very informative book on the history of the Balkan countries, including Greece, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire, Rumania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Albania. The book reads like a college course in History: I even took notes on it so that I could remain organized. If you are looking for a book that reads easily, and will be informative as well as fun, this is probably not the book for you. However, if your goal is to learn about this diverse and troubled region of the world, and you have the patience and thirst for knowledge of a scholar, this would be right up your alley.

I read this book as after reading "Short History of Byzantium" and "Ottoman Centuries." My biggest concern in choosing from the available material was finding a subjective history that wasn't influenced by the events of the past decade or even, if possible, the cold war. The market has been flooded in recent years with books attempting to "explain" current events in Serbia, et al.

I found what I was looking for in this book. Published ~1920, the author's language can come across archaic at times, but is not difficult to read. He has a dry wit and insight which shines through, making it quite enjoyable.

Although he pays passing tribute to the Greeks, the primary focus on the region's history begins with the Byzantine empire, followed by Ottoman, which was still in the process of finding it's present day role in the world as the Republic of Turkey at the time this book was published.

High marks go to Schevill for his ability to interweave European politics and their impact on the region (Russia's desire for control of the Balkans from the time of Peter the Great forward; Napoleon's brief alliance with Russia for the same purpose; Austria's on-going alliance with Hungary)

This is history at its finest - a must read for anyone with more that a passing interest in the subject.

Jelavich clearly knows her stuff, and this (and its successor volume) serve as an excellent general study. However, the writing style is very dry and can be difficult and a little boring to read. Further, the work is a bit dated, neglecting all of the extraordinary events after the mid-80s. The bibliography is very good, though keep in mind obviously no recent works are there. Citations are a bit sparse, making it difficult to pursue a line of thought further.

This is overall a good book, but readers interested in first learning this subject absolutely should start with Stavrianos' "The Balkans since 1453." It's even more dated, but is unbeatable as a general study on the region up to about 1950.

Although published in the late 1980s with no updated editions in later years, Jelavich's masterful "History of the Balkans" is still by far the best introduction to contemporary Balkan history. This first volume traces the developments among the various Balkan peoples as they moved into modernity and formed independent nation states. Jelavich begins with a short and very informative introduction to Balkan history up to the end of the 17th century, i.e. the time when Ottoman power in the region seriously began to wane and the role of the Habsburg Monarchy and Russia (and later all of the major European powers) in the region became crucial. The author focuses mostly on the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan nationalities under Ottoman rule, the Bulgarians, Greeks, Romanians and Serbs, and the Albanians to a lesser extent, as it was among these people that the first revolts occurred and the first nation states were formed in the Balkans. Even so, Jelavich provides excellent analysis of the main currents in the Habsburg Monarchy's Balkan possessions, mainly the Croatian lands but also Vojvodina and Transylvania with their large Serbian and Romanian populations. Perhaps the main thing that comes out of this volume is that Ottoman rule in the Balkans was not as oppressive as it was often later portrayed (i.e. the notorious "Turkish yoke" of national(ist) historiography in the Balkans). It was in fact this empire's decentralized governing institutions, tolerance of non-Islamic religious communities, and general inefficiency that made possible a great deal of local autonomy among the Balkan peoples and proved conducive to the nationalist uprisings of the 19th century. Also important is Jelavich's repeated emphasis on the region's general poverty. Throughout the period this book covers, the vast majority of the Balkan people were peasants who often lived at subsistence levels. This factor was crucial in shaping the region's history. This book contains both detailed accounts of the major events in Balkan history during the period it covers as well as strong analysis of the underlying social and political processes. It therefore provides a strong basis for understanding Balkan history, and greatly helps in comprehending current events in the region.

I have found the book excellent for a hystorical review of the years 1866-1947, well documented and pleasant to read. It describes the struggle of a nation to came into existance and to modernise. The book is not only a list of hystorical events, but more a monography of the everyday life. The author has an original way of describing the events of that time. I consider the book one of the best in this subject, recommended for anyone who wants to know more (than the fictitious Dracula)about Rumania's history.

A very elegant book , written in an elegant , clear style . Trutful to the historical context , with no biast interpretation of the subject matter , yet compassionate and open . Excelent !

The book cover shows who is responsible for this war. Draped in Serb paraphenilia, thugs like those pictured here, destroyed Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and now Kosovo and Vojvodina. What many refuse to acknowledge is the West's gross involvement in these wars and their overt and covert support for the thugs in the picture.

Once again Mestrovic brings together some of the best writers and historians to put the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina into context. Everyone should read this book!!!

Bracewell's book chronicles the rise and fall of the Uskoks and their (largely unrecognized) role in the shaping of modern Europe. The book is enlightening in its depiction of the Uskok "pirates" of the Adriatic ( from Senj in Croatia) as the last bastion between Islam and Christianity. The Ottoman Empire extended to the South of of the Uskok enclave of Senj. This frontier (in modern Croatia) is where the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians and the Venetians converged, all with their own agendas. The result is a engrossing history lesson in in war, peace, diplomacy, religion, negotiation, political deals and merchant trade. Bracewell's book analyses the customs and culture of the Uskoks as well as their battle against not only the Ottoman Empire, but also Venice and eventually (their ally) Austria. A stimulating, well annotated, but not light read.

i liked this book a lot i am only 14 years old but i found it very good

Ro

This text is now a bit dated: it does not cover the tumultuous events of the 90s. This book, nevertheless, covers what took place earlier in the 20th century with great depth and balance. Jelavich's book is for any person who wants a serious look into the history of the Balkans. Such knowledge is a must and a primer for a true understanding of the "balkanization" of the Balkans in the 1990s. If you want a quick, light read, this book in NOT for you. This book is at times heavy and hard, but is worth the effort.

cao! I would like to found more about Author s biography Thanks advance Boban Barbare

The scope of Jelavich's second volume of her "History of the Balkans" actually covers the last several decades of the nineteenth century and ends with the early 1980s, when it was published. No updated editions were ever published. This unfortunately makes an otherwise exemplary historiographical work somewhat dated. Jelavich's analysis of events and developments in the communist Romania, Albania and Bulgaria, as well as Greece is, however, a good summary of the history of these countries from 1945 to the early 1980s. Where the book is obviously dated is in its coverage of the former Yugoslavia: in her conclusions, the author implies a generally positive course for this country based on its relative successes until then in economic and overall social development. Nonetheless, her examination of socialist Yugoslavia does provide a view into the country's flaws, which would eventually lead to its violent collapse in 1991. Jelavich's treatment of the late 19th century, the two World Wars and the interwar is comprehensive and very informative; the author's vast knowledge of numerous primary sources and the extensive secondary literature on this region comes to the fore here. Although Jelavich's strength is her knowledge of political and diplomatic history, she provides a strong analysis of the region's underlying economic problems (which in all countries considered is the relative technological backwardness). The only weakness of this volume is the short-shrift given to cultural/social issues - thus, very little is said about literary and artistic activity, or the effects of the vast social change in Western Europe and the U.S. on the various Balkan countries. Her overall conclusion is obviously a bit dated since all of the communist regimes have since fallen. Nevertheless, this is an excellent integrated history which is broken down into logical chronological and geopolitical sections, making it also useful as a reference work.

Very interesting and useful, even though it focuses on the short (but pivotally important) time period of 1918-1921.

A while since I read this book. Useful detail of croatian political dynamics dating from mid/late C19 to late 1930's. Avoids any real detail on the rise to power of the Ustashe movement. The content tries to be objective and suceeds to a certain extent.

This is perhaps one of the best books on thenational/nationalist problems that have beset the former Yugoslaviasince its formation after World War I. In fact, the author primarily analyzes the short period during and immediately after the establishment of Yugoslavia in 1918, his central thesis being that the overlapping nationalist ideologies and problems which appeared then were never directly addressed and continued to plague the country (all up until its disintegration in 1990 and even afterwards). "The National Question in Yugoslavia" extensively describes the nationalisms of all Yugoslav peoples, not just the Croats. Also, since the work focuses on the early 1920s, it would have been pointless to discuss the origins of the Croatian Ustasha, since this ultra-nationalist fascist movement only emerged about ten years later. In the same vein, one could criticize this book for not providing a deeper exploration of the origins of the Serbian Chetnik movement... This is definitely THE book to read if you want a better understanding of the problems and rivalries that existed in Yugoslavia and led to the violent break-up of that country twice: during World War II and at the beginning of the 1990s.

Bert's book is a uniquely systematic work, focusing on American policy from hindsight and the perspective of "New World Order." It is a must-read for every political scientist and historian of the region. However, it abounds with misconceptions, simplifications and all too often overt ethnic preferences. Readers familiar with the region will find his terminology questionable, CNN-educated will find it confirming their views, and some actors in those events might be surprised that Bert mentions few names. On the other hand, it is good to see a book about this subject out there. Anything, however flawed, is better than nothing. Read with caution, but read nevertheless.

This book is well written and insightful. Well documented and organized for clarity. A valuable resource for anyone concerned about international politics and America's international role.

Hi Wayne, Remember me? Wilmington College 1977. Just read a (good) review of your book on US politics in Bosnia in the major daily here (in Holland). Would like to get it to you, if I can find you somewhere. Please drop me a line. Frank van Alten fvacomm@xs4all.nl home: Leonardostraat 8 1077 EV Amsterdam, The Netherlands