Lecture Notes: Genocide in Europe - A Historical Perspective

Introduction

• Europe has a tragic history of genocide.
• Historical examples:
  • Harrying of the North (11th century): Up to 75% of the population in northern England was affected.
  • Holocaust (20th century): Up to 20 million minorities were killed by the Nazi regime.
• Despite the "never again" sentiment, genocide has reoccurred, notably in the 1990s with the Bosnian genocide.

Background of the Bosnian Genocide

• Occurred during the collapse of Yugoslavia, a multiethnic federation.
• Ethnic tensions existed but were managed under Joseph Broz Tito (1953-1980).
• Post-Tito, leaders failed to maintain a collective Yugoslav identity.
• Rise of ethnonationalist leaders exploiting ethnic divisions:
  • Slobodan Milosević (Serbia), Franjo Tuđman (Croatia), Radovan Karadžić (Bosnia Serb leader).
• The Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001) followed Yugoslavia's collapse.

The Bosnian War

• Began after the 1992 Bosnian Independence referendum with 99.71% favoring independence.
• Bosnian Serbs declared independence, forming the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
• The war commenced on April 6, 1992, coinciding with the start of the genocide.

Key Events of the Bosnian Genocide

• Sarajevo Market Massacres:
  • February 5, 1994: Single mortar attack, 68 killed, 144 wounded.
  • August 28, 1995: Five mortars, 43 killed, 75 wounded.
• Tuzla Massacre:
  • May 25, 1995: 71 killed, 240 injured.
• Višegrad Massacres:
  • Mid-1992: Ethnic cleansing, town emptied of Bosniaks.
  • Serbian forces targeted civilians; women were often abducted.

The Srebrenica Massacre

• Thousands sought refuge in Srebrenica, declared a UN "safe area."
• July 1995: Serb forces overran the town.
• Men and boys were separated from women.
• Mass executions led by Serb General Ratko Mladić:
  • Over 8,000 Bosnian men and boys killed between July 12-16, 1995.
• Efforts to cover up massacre by burying bodies in mass graves.

End of the Genocide and Aftermath

• Bosnian War ended with the Dayton Agreement on December 14, 1995.
• Serbian Republic abandoned independence claims.
• International efforts to bring perpetrators to justice:
  • Radovan Karadžić sentenced to 40 years in 2016.
  • Vujadin Popović received life imprisonment in 2010.

Conclusion

• The tragedy of the Bosnian genocide remains a grim reminder of the potential for ethnic violence in modern Europe.
• Ensuring such atrocities do not reoccur requires collective commitment to the "never again" principle.