Document Type
Research Paper
Department/Program
Government
Date
2025
Abstract
No one can dismiss the intense violent conflicts that the Former Yugoslavia experienced in the 1990s. These violent conflicts, together called the Yugoslav Wars, brought forth many tragic stories that still live in the minds of the region’s people. Why did this region of Europe become the victim of such heinous events? More specifically, what historical factors might have contributed to its misfortune? This paper seeks not to explain the causes of the Yugoslav Wars but rather to give attention to a specific historical factor that influenced potential conflict in the region - the Ottoman Empire. With almost four centuries of rule in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire inevitably influenced this area of the world leaving permanent marks not only on this region’s history but also on its future. This paper argues that the Ottoman Empire played a key role in laying the foundation for ethnic tensions between Serbs and other ethnic groups during the Yugoslav Wars because its impact led to an alteration in demographics, an emergence of political elitism, and a rise in ethnonationalism. Though this paper will address the Ottoman Empire’s impact on different ethnic groups, it will focus on the Serbian people because of the significant role the Serbian state played in initiating and perpetuating violence in the Yugoslav Wars.
Recommended Citation
Tzafolias, Mia, "The Impact of the Ottoman Empire on Tensions between the Serbs and Other Ethnic Groups in the Former Yugoslavia" (2025). Undergraduate Research Awards. 18.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/ugra/18
