Yugoslavia

Or Ju·go·sla·vi·a

[yoo-goh-slah-vee-uh]

noun

1. formerly, a federal republic in S Europe: since 1992 comprised of Serbia and Montenegro; disbanded into independent countries in 2006. 39,449 sq. mi. (102,173 sq. km). Belgrade.

2. Formerly Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. a republic in S Europe on the Adriatic: formed 1918 from the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro and part of Austria-Hungary; a federal republic 1945-91 comprised of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.

Yugoslavia

/ ˌjuːɡəʊˈslɑːvɪə /

noun

1. a former country in SE Europe, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, that was formed in 1991 but not widely internationally recognized until 2000; it was replaced by the Union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2003 (dissolved 2006)

2. a former country in SE Europe, on the Adriatic: established in 1918 from the independent states of Serbia and Montenegro, and regions that until World War I had belonged to Austria-Hungary (Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina); the name was changed from Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes to Yugoslavia in 1929; German invasion of 1941–44 was resisted chiefly by a Communist group led by Tito, who declared a people's republic in 1945; it became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963; in 1991 Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence, followed by Macedonia in 1992; Serbia and Montenegro formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, subsequently (2003) replaced by the Union of Serbia and Montenegro (dissolved 2006)

Yugoslavia

1. Republic in southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, bordered by Hungary to the north, Bulgaria and Romania to the east, Macedonia and Albania to the south, the Adriatic Sea and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Croatia to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Belgrade.

It became a communist state under the leadership of Tito and developed its own form of communism, independent of the Soviet Union.

With the collapse of communism in East Europe and the Soviet Union, long-repressed nationalism came to the surface. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia declared their independence, leaving Serbia and Montenegro to form the new, truncated Yugoslavia, known since 1992 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic stirred criticism by giving financial and military support to Serbian minorities in the newly independent republics and by pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing. In 1995, under pressure from the United Nations and the United States, Milosevic signed a peace agreement with leaders of Bosnia and Croatia in Dayton, Ohio. In the late 1990s, attention shifted to Kosovo, a southern province of Serbia with an ethnic Albanian majority. Seeking independence from Serbia, the Albanian-dominated Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) launched a guerrilla war against Serbian police and officials in Kosovo. When Milosevic ordered a fierce crackdown against the KLA, NATO intervened with air strikes against Serbia, the first military engagement in its history. After heavy air attacks, including attacks on Belgrade, Milosevic agreed to a pullout from Kosovo by the Serbian army. Milosevic was later deposed in an election and sent to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for trial on human-rights abuses.

It was invaded by German troops in 1941 and occupied until 1944. During the German occupation, intense fighting occurred there between rival ethnic factions, especially Croats and Serbs.

A union of six republics, the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formally declared in 1918; the name was later changed to Yugoslavia.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Yugoslavian adjective
• Yugoslavian adjective
• Yugoslavic adjective
• pro-Yugoslavian adjective

Example Sentences

After all, she was born Melanija Knavs behind the Iron Curtain in what was then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

From Salon

I haven’t gotten my copy yet, but as I understand it, they outline a plan for a federalist, democratic republic with guaranteed rights for both Jews and Arabs, somewhat along the lines of pre-breakup Yugoslavia.

From Salon

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia began to splinter.

From Salon

Eventually he took piano lessons in then Yugoslavia and went to study at the Graz Conservatory in Austria.

From BBC

The buildings were originally constructed to welcome visitors to the capital of Tito's Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

From BBC