A case study of the civil war in Bosnia-Hercegovina: The history and the roots

Bitter disputes over political, economic and constitutional issues in Yugoslavia surfaced around 1988, developing into a bloody civil war in the republic of Bosnia-Hercegovina. The war has been portrayed as being based on purely historical ethnic hatreds. This work examines the events and the roots of the civil war to determine whether ethnic hatreds is its sole cause. Several factors were examined: the history of the region, the economic and political conditions since 1945, and religion. Basic definitions and theories of ethnic and nationalist conflict were examined, as well as the events that instilled nationalist sentiments. The economic factors examined, according to the available economic information, include: per capita income for each republic, industrial income for each of the six republics, and the amount contributed to the fund for the underdeveloped regions. Political events, arguments and debates were reviewed and analyzed, as well as events and issues involving the church. The material that was analyzed supported the hypothesis that the war was caused by the culmination of political and economic problems that were expressed in nationalistic hatred and violence, not by centuries old hatreds. The political and economic disputes that started in 1988 resulted in a tragic, bloody war.