Product Description
Anyone who has glimpsed the long, mountainous, island-studded Dalmatian coast would surely agree that its beauty is little short of divine. Croatia, quite simply, is blessed with some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet, and its history is equally captivating. A Traveller's History of Croatia offers tourists and travellers an inside look at how the country's cultural fusion of Mediterranean, Central European and Balkan influences has given it a tumultuous past. The book's narrative begins with Croatia's astounding Greek and Roman legacy, and then explains how the early blooming of the Croatian state in the 9th century was thwarted by the ambitions of its powerful neighbour, Hungary. In the Middle Ages much of the coast came under the control of Venice, which over centuries left its indelible stamp on many charming, historic towns. Croatia became a battlefield as the Ottoman Turks invaded during the 1500s, until they were finally repulsed by the Habsburgs, who ruled the country right up until the First World War. The twentieth century brought new solutions in the founding of Yugoslavia, problems with Croatian nationalism and the horrors of invasion in World War II. Under Tito a stability came to the region until the battles of the 1990s, which were finally resolved with the international recognition of an independent state in 1992. Croatia today is independent, peaceful, and as beautiful as ever: it has taken its place as one of the world's most coveted travel destinations.

Product Description
In this book an eyewitness to the breakup of Yugoslavia provides the first full and impartial account of the rise, fall, and rebirth of Croatia from its medieval origins to today`s tentative peace.Marcus Tanner describes the turbulence and drama of Croatia`s past and -drawing on his own experience and interviews with many of the leading figures in Croatia`s conflict-explains its violent history since Tito`s death in 1980.Amazon.com Review
Left in tatters after the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, thenew country of Croatia has served as a troubled crossroads betweenEast and West since the Dark Ages. Veteran journalist Marcus Tannerset out to write the recent history of this nation, but found itimpossible to cover the 1990s without referring to World War II, andimpossible to write about that period without going back evenfurther. So he begins his account in the 7th century, covers Croatianhistory in a brief but thorough manner, and spends the final third ofhis book describing how Croatia regained its sovereignty in 1992. Aglut of books on the Balkan War give short shrift to this intriguingstory. Tanner corrects this problem with a fine and uniquecontribution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Croatia: A Nation Forged in War
very easy read.Thorough account of Croatia's history.Tanner does a great job providing the context in Yugoslavia before the war began.

Surprisingly objective and easily read
I was pleasently surprised to have found this book which is one of the rare history books about Croatia written in English language successfully avoiding the historical misconceptions ant the mythomania from serbian and croatian extremist elements who often tend to re-write the 20th century history. Although Tanner is not an academic, he has carefully collected all of the historical facts and has very swiftly dealt with the chapters covering newer history, managing to present all of true and false historical facts as such.
The chapters on the early croatian history are also well written, easy to read and suitable for an average reader who might not be a historian, as well as for all those who are learning about Croatia for the first time.
A must-read for anyone wanting to learn about the basic history of the western Balkans.

"Long-time Minor Leaguer Steps up to Plate, Hits Homer"
We start in the dim past of Slavic tribes moving into the dark realms of the collapsed Roman empire, Christianizing and warding off (sometimes unsuccessfully) the Byzantine rulers from the southeast.Then we move rapidly through the long period of Hungarian rule, coupled with the Venetian hold on the Dalmatian coast, and Turkish occupation.The lands that make up Croatia today long served as a frontier for the Hapsburg Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom, fighting the Muslims/Turks of Bosnia, the French under Napoleon, and the Italians and Russians in World War I.Ultimately Croatia wound up---not an independent state as so many had hoped under the rising tide of nationalism in Austro-Hungarian times---but as a part of Yugoslavia where they played the part of perpetual second fiddle to Serbia.More than half the book is devoted to Croatian history after World War I.Large sections cover the country between the two World Wars, under the awful Ustashe regime during German occupation, and in Tito's Yugoslavia.The slow crumbling and breakup of that country after the leader's death in 1980 is documented very well, as is the war between Croatia and Serbia in 1991-92 and then the lightning campaign in 1995 when the renewed national army drove out the Serbs who had tried to set up an independent enclave within the boundaries of Croatia.Like Ireland, Finland, Slovakia, and other small nations, Croatia endured for centuries as a minor outpost, used but not appreciated by the empires that ruled it.Its territories were often divided among different conquerors.After nearly a thousand years of passionate defence of its mere existence, the nation finally emerged into the light in the 1990s with a language and culture of its own. The perennial "minor leaguer" entered the majors at last.It was an exceedingly difficult transition.

I've read various histories of Balkan and Eastern European countries in which nationalism outpoints facts.Perhaps we might say that "certain facts are ignored" in such books.Tanner, a journalist who worked for years in Croatia and former Yugoslavia, tries to maintain a neutral stance.He neither whitewashes Croatian sins nor takes sides with their enemies.The result is a highly readable book with attention to academic sources, with a series of interesting black and white photographs, and some modern details gleaned on the spot by personal experience which standard histories might never incorporate.I felt that he tried his best to be fair.There are a number of interesting portraits of characters in Croatian history---of Jelacic, Gaj, Strossmeyer, Radic, Pavelic, Stepinac, and Tudjman among others---men hardly known in the outside world.Given that knowledge of Croatia is not particularly widespread, a better, more detailed large map would have been useful.The small maps provided are all right, but insufficient.Histories of Croatia in English aren't exactly a dime a dozen, so you've got to take what you can find.I suspect that Tanner's work, definitive or not, is the most readable.He sticks closely to political/military matters, eschewing the economic, cultural, religious, and other spheres.Croatia's artists, writers, musicians, and architects; the trade, agriculture, and industrial growth, education, even population trends---all are almost totally absent.If you want an excellent action-history of Croatia, this is it, just be aware that nobody can cover all the bases.

Where's the bloody stains of Jasenovac?
Many leaving reviews for this book are taking time and space to re-write history.It would be humorous if it weren't so sad that grandiose national insecurity complex of Croatia.Always the victim to the Serbs.To clarify a quick matter, no gun was put to the head of Croatia at the conclusion of WWI to join up with Serbia as a kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes.This was a willful act of their intellegencia, but, as history shows us, it was not backed by their masses influenced by their hate filled demagogues.This was the conception of Yugoslavia.
Perhaps I missed the chapter dedicated to the slaughter of thousands upon thousands of Serbs, Jews & Gypsies at the Aushwitz of the Balkans, Jasenovac, during WWII.When books depict the Croatians as accepting their history of lust for blood, then that book will be worth 5 stars.

good but lacking
This is a decent book which provides some insight into the struggle of the Croatian people. But it fails to provide the most important information. That is, the background of how Serbian and communist domination and hegemony forced all people of the former Yugoslavia to want to break free from oppresion. I lived in Zagreb in the late 1980s and the fact is that Serbs dominated Police, Military, Education, Politics, Diplomacy throughout Croatia. The fact is that Croatia, a fairly developed republic had to give most of its income to the YU government in Belgrade. The fact is that the Croatians were not allowed to show any national (not nationalistic) pride. How would we Americans feel if we were not allowed to display our flag, sing our anthem or criticise the governemt. That's how it was. The YU constitution allowed for separation of the individual YU republics if so elected in a public poll, which 94% of Croatian inhabitants did. Croatia offered Belgrade a loose confederation at first but Belgrade replied with terrorist attacks. On a personal basis Croats don't hate Serbs. They just wanted their own country, flag, governemtn and peace. If you look at the history, Croatia due to its natural richness and location, was constantly under attack or occupation. Including by the Serbs. But since the Serbs were the ruling republic, they wrote the history books. Why do you think Croatia is always singled out as an ally to Italy/Germany and Serbia isn't? Serbs wrote the history. Serbs were allies with Germany as well. They had brutal forces like the chetniks who killed tens of thousands of Croatians and Bosnians. But that is not common knowledge. Butthe anti-Nazi uprising started in Croatia, not Serbia. That's something to think about. So, this book is good, but lacks deeper explanations of the reasons behind the conflict. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (10)

Accurate, balanced, reasoned and readable
Ivo Goldstein's book Croatia is an enjoyable and comprehensive introduction to the history of this Balkan nation. Goldstein's work also thankfully lacks the usual histrionic nationalist polemics that frequently mar the historical works from partisans of all sides of the former Yugoslavia. Recommended.

A Croatian's History of Croatia

Ivo Goldstein's Croatia, A History, traces the evolution of modern day Croatia and its people, religions and cultures from antiquity. Today, after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Croatia remains surrounded by Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Over the centuries, there have been many changes in area names and ownership, which the author traces with care.

This book about Croatia was authored by a Croatian in the Croatian language - which lens a certain degree of apparent accuracy. However, a bit of the elegance of the Croatian language was inescapably lost in the translation to English, making the rating of the book three stars.

Please...
I was amazed that a mass market book like this would really expect me to swallow some of these nationalist whoppers. This book is fairly well written, and accurate up to a point, but whenever something good happens, it's the Croats. When something bad happens it's a brief paragraph blaming the Germans, or the Serbs, or the Hungarians. Ivo and Nikolina gloss over Croatia's shameful history during World War Two and have it play the victim in the Bosnian War. Take with a chunk of salt. Still, this isn't just a propaganda piece, and if you paired it with Noel Malcom's "Bosnia" and an informed and sympathetic work on Serbia, you could average them out to something good.

As balanced as can be
I was glad to read this book and given the negative comments from (unsurpisingly) a Croatian reviewer, I can see why Croats and Serbs never get along. Rarely do I meet Croats or Serbs who go beyond being apologists for their respective nations when talking about Serbo-Croatian relations.

Goldstein, however, examines Croatian history quite fairly for the most part and more to the point doesn't fall into the trap of placing Croats on a higher plane than neighbouring Serbs. It is satifying to read something by a historian who doesn't sink to the level of a chauvanist as many intellectuals from the Balkans do.

His chapter on Croatia's meddling/warring in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995 is illuminating and reminds me that most Croats hardly deserve the "angels' halos" that they still crave when trying to "discuss" (read: justify) their conduct towards their neighbours. In addition, it is indeed refreshing to see that Goldstein pulls no punches in presenting less attractive aspects of President Tudjman's rule in spite of Tudjman's suitability in countering the aggresive nationalism emnating from President Milosevic's office in Belgrade.

Nevertheless, I agree with the reviewer who dislikes the dominance of coverage about the 20th century. Goldstein doesn't go into as much detail about the earlier periods which forced me to consult books about Hungarian, Ottoman or Venetian history when I wanted to get some more information about Croatian history during the Middle Ages and Renaissance (when Croats were ruled by those powers).

Bottom line: This book is as good as it gets for Croatian history for now. It's too bad that I haven't come across a similar work on Serbian history. Like the Croats, I'm sure that the Serbs are unjustified in trying to portray themselves as eternal victims who must take revenge for past defeats and real/imagined injustices. Goldstein's work should be a good kick-in-the-rear for qualified Croatian and Serbian historians to be brave enough not to let their thinking be coloured by prejudices about Croatian impudence or Serbian aggresion. They must begin crowding out the field of Croatian and Serbian historigraphy which is currently littered with works by journalists and other non-historians whose works provide fodder for propagandists and chauvanists.

Imbalanced and subjective
This book devoted half of its content to events between 1941 and 1999. Pre-modern history of Croatia is very superficial dealt with. Modern history is biased revealing too often personal stand of the author. Although the author is not a Croatian nationalist his description ofsome events is unacceptable for objective historian. For example, he calls Operation Storm as "liberation operation" not explaining how can liberation results in the flight of population before the army that "liberated" some area. His critical description of Tudjman's government is also a reflection of his personal political views and not an objective assessment of historian. ... Read more

Product Description
Krajina ("borderland"), the Habsburg Military Frontier, was once the name of a string of territories which provided an essential link in the chain defending Europe from the Ottoman onslaught in the 16th and 17th centuries. For many generations the Serbian population of these regions was periodically decimated by warfare in the service of the Austrian Emperor. In 1941-1945 the Serbs were subject to a genocidal attack after the Germans put the Croatian Ustaša movement in power in Zagreb. Their resistance to this slaughter and the ensuing epic struggle is the story both of the royalist Četniks and of their bitter rivals for post-war power, Communist-led Partisans. The history of the Krajina Serbs, ending in the mass exodus of 1995, is an element in the story of most of the great wars in Europe, from the Ottoman offensives after the fall of Constantinople to the last decade of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Grateful for the Knowledge
Since all four of my Serbian-American grandparents originated from the Krajina area of today's "Croatia", I am most grateful to Dr. Srdja Trifkovic for his thorough and well-documented book, THE KRAJINA CHRONICLE.Anyone wishing to know more about the history of the Serbs in Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia would do well in purchasing this book. In fact, I was only 1/2 of the way through before I ordered two more books for friends of mine, knowing they would be as grateful as I to find such a difficult and intriguing topic brought to light in such an understandable manner.Anyone who has followed the writings of Dr. Trifkovic would expect nothing short of excellence and this work definitely falls into that category.

This is a comprehensive, pioneering/long overdue history of the area.Trifkovic capably reduces half of a millennium to 238 pages when explaining the rich and tragic history of the Krajina Serbs, who suffered through multiple wars and occupations.An effort to ethnically exterminate them in the 1941-45 years by the dreaded Croatian Ustashi horrified even the Germans.The effort to ethnically cleanse them from their ancestral homeland was repeated in the 1990's, a fact repeatedly ignored by most Western governments.

It brings to mind the letter I wrote to TIME magazine (1990-91?) about having the information wrong about how the Serbs from the Krajina voted by over 90% to be a part of Croatia.Instead, it should have stated they wished to stay a part of Yugoslavia.One writer wrote back, "You are absolutely correct.It is our mistake.That letter writer was promptly fired or "sought employment elsewhere."

As Col. Ronald Hatchett of Schreiner University writes:"It casts light on one of the most egregious violations of human rights that continues to be ignored by the 'international community', the right of the ethnically cleansed Krajina Serbs to return to their homelands."

I hope more people take the time to read this long needed documentation of South Slav history/Military Borders--- THE KRAJINA CHRONICLES.Find out why the Krajina Serbs refused to be human fodder again, and the real reasons behind the break-up of multi-ethnic Yugoslavia. It's a book every family with origins from this region should have on home bookshelves.

Highly informative and an "eye-opening" history of Serbia and the Balkans
A copious, must-read account of not only Serb and Krajina ("borderland") history, but the dynamics of the Balkan region in general - - - an extremely complex area for a non-native to completely understand. Evidently a laborious project, Dr. Srdja Trifkovic provides a chronological account of the Balkan Peninsula from early settlement to the Serb's last stand in 1991.Michael Stenton wrote a wonderful afterword.

Dr. Trifkovic is correct in his assertion that "The only way we can meaningfully judge the present is by the example of the past. This is the main difficulty in addressing the predicament of the Balkans to today's English-speaking world, where many assumptions are made on the basis of too few facts."Remembering this assumption wouldn't be out-of-line for us westerners who have been fed a great deal of inaccurate information by mass media and self-serving politicians.

The Serbs have been "used" and "abused" empire after empire.Used for their loyalty and fighting capabilities; abused for simply being Serbian and Orthodox Christians. Their personal endurance, giving nature [to a fault], and forgiving tendencies during the rise and fall of each conquest demonstrates their ability to "overcome." Extraordinary early leaders [i.e. Prince Lazar, Petrovich] could only be sickened by the less than savvy 20th century Serbian politicians operating within a political cesspool out of their depth. The creation of Yugoslavia - - - seen as an "Illyrian" solution, resulted in an ultimate mess. The Coatian Ustasa [ethnic cleansing of Serbs during WWII] was backed by the Catholics - - - unbelievable [and almost non-reported] crime against humanity.The US backing of Albanian Muslims against the Serbs - - - extremely misguided would be an "understatement."

If we can only judge the present by an example of the past, we best wake soon.Today's Muslim insurgence and their persecution of Orthodox Christians (and Christians in general) are reflective of Ottoman conquests. The western world's "choice" in taking the wrong side [again] is reflective of the failure of the Roman Empire West [Catholics] and the Byzantine [Roman] Empire East [Greek Orthodox Christian] to come to the aid fellow "Christians." Nazi Germany's rise and the Croatian Ustasa [Nazi] are reflective of the "behind the curtain" build up of the present day fascist movements arising in Austria (FPO) and Hungary's Jobbik Party.The Orthodox Serbs, again, are trapped. Is anyone paying attention? One doesn't have to be a "Tesla" to see this.

Can they [and the world] sustain? As Dr. Trifkovic concluded his book, "But it's not over. In the Balkans it never is."



* Thank you Dr. Trifkovic for your hard-work and dedication in providing a fact-based history.*

As a side note: In order to gain a better "understanding" of the history, it was necessary for me to read the book twice. Do not expect an easy read for such a complex history. It simply isn't possible. Take your time . . . it's worth the read.

Very Informative
I found this book very informative and a good read. Specifically it addressed the "Serb side" of a very confusing time in history. I used this book as a road map to understand a war inside another greater war and it makes clear the degree of suffering a certain strain of Serbs who rejected the Communists and fought the Nazi's. On a personal note I'm an American married to the Granddaughter of one of the key players in this book and NOT a history buff so despite the oral history of the actual survivors I had heard over the years, I used this book as a guide to understanding all the factions and players, the interactions and the betrayals of the various groups that fought each other around the time of World War 2.

The Krajina Chronicle: A History od Serbs in Croatia,Slavonia and Dalmatia
I would highly recommend this book to anyone studying the break upof Yugoslavia. As an American of Serbian heritage I found this book invaluable in my studies of this region and Yugoslavia as a whole. Srdja Trifkovic has done a wonderful job in putting together this book of a peoples struggle to survive against all odds through the centuries. For those who want make some sense in what happened during the wars with Croatia and Serbia , this book will exlplain the struggles Krajina Serbs went through for centuries to understand why they fought forindependence from Croatia and for unity with Serbia.

the krajina chronicle
Excellent book, well written covering a fascinating history of a people-the Serbs-who have withstood one calamity after another for centuries.This book covers so much history in a well organized format.European history is incomplete without the valiant struggle of the Serbian people.To gloss over the events in the Balkans is to leave out a big piece of the puzzle and disconnect to what is happening now.This book should be required reading for history courses and current geopolitical courses.Highly recommended and a great effort on Dr.Trifkovic's part!THANKS ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Independence over the centuries?
Branka Magas wrote The Destruction of Yugoslavia: Tracking the Break-Up 1980-92, a collection of her writings published between 1981 and the end of 1991. She prefaced her book with a summary: "Yugoslavia did not die a natural death ... [it was] destroyed for the cause of Greater Serbia". She blamed Nationalists seeking a racially homogeneous Serbian state and ex-Communists wanting to stay in power, led by Milosevic and supported by the primarily Serbian Yugoslav National Army. Non-Serbs defended themselves with greater vigor than expected, and at a great cost. Ms Magas had predicted the course of events, and her book received outstanding reviews.

Ms Magas is a Croat and a left-wing thinker who could be expected to read history as a "class-firster"; she argued in "The Destruction" that in this region at least nation matters more than class. She makes the same point in "Croatia Through History", describing in great detail Croatia's history from the early Middle Ages to the present.

For this general reader the book appeared even handed and fair. She was particularly good, I thought, in describing the conflicts and debates between Croats who advocated an independent country and those that argued at various times for becoming a part of Austria, Yugoslavia or a larger European federation.

Robert C. Ross 2008

An even-handed history that pays close attention to the many plural ethnic, cultural, and national influences upon the region
Consultant and scholar Branka Magas presents the culmination of her intense research in Croatia Through History: The Making of a European State, an in-depth scrutiny of Croatia's history and development from its origin in the early Middle Ages to the modern day. The evolution of Croatia's institutions, ideology, social customs, and political strategies are all examined in turn. Croatia's rich and complex past includes eras when it was territorially and/or administratively divided between various states, and even times when the threat of extinction loomed. Croatia's long struggle for survival has produced a spectrum of national ideologies, some advocating independent statehood while others reach for the benefits of becoming part of an Austrian, Yugoslav or European federation. An even-handed history that pays close attention to the many plural ethnic, cultural, and national influences upon the region, illustrated with a handful of black-and-white and color images. Highly recommended especially for public or college library history shelves.
... Read more

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Journalist Timothy Judah witnessed firsthand many of the most horrifying episodes of the war in former Yugoslavia while on assignment from 1990-1995.Judah offers here a history of the Serbs from medieval times to the present, combining a gripping personal description of the war with a skillful analysis of the historical and cultural context out of which it emerged.For this paperback edition Judah adds observations on the emergence of a more moderate Bosnian Serb leadership, and on the worrying signs of a possible new war, this time in Kosovo.Amazon.com Review
The recent war in Bosnia re-ignited ancient hatreds and led to acts of brutality that echoed World War II atrocities: large-scale massacres and "ethnic cleansing". Bosnian Serbs, aided by Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, systematically murdered, raped, and terrorized Bosnian Muslims as they strove to create a Greater Serbia. Now, journalist Tim Judah provides some perspective on the horrors of the Bosnian conflict with The Serbs. Make no mistake, Judah is not an apologist for Serbian excesses; rather, he aims to explicate the Balkans' long and violent history leading to this latest tragic conflict.

The Serbs begins with the establishment of a Serbian state in the Middle Ages,then follows Serb fortunes through ensuing centuries of conquest, conflict, and oppression. Ethnic cleansing in the Balkans is hardly unique to the Bosnian war; it has been a horrific element of all Balkan conflicts, and Judah convincingly argues that Serbian nationalism is an outgrowth of the Serbs' own sufferings as victims of ethnic cleansing in past conflicts.Anyone interested in current affairs--particularly in the Balkans--will find Tim Judah's The Serbs an engrossing and important exploration of the Bosnian conflict. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Important book, but somewhat biased against the Serbs
The books starts with the standard history of the Serbs, from ancient times to the Yugoslavia wars. As the time goes by, Judah takes an increasingly hostile opinion of the Serbs and their leaders.

So while the first parts are important and interesting stuff that is not much written about outside Europe, the later parts look like the Usual Serb Bashing writings.

From the book, you could think that Serbia during the 90's was only murderers, thieves and criminals.

The author laments that unlike the Bosnians and the Croats, the Serbs didn't greatly publicize their suffering, and that had a cost at the PR war. Well, unfortunately his research does nothing to compensate for this,as he didn't try to hard to present the Serbian suffering.

Serbs love to rewrite history
This is actually a pretty good book. Basic facts:
Since Serbs (aka as Servs) came from Russia in the 7th century they have only caused trouble. Their main problem is arrogance and underestimating others, namely the natives, the Albanians. Serbs will probably not like the book as it tells the truth about their xenophobic Orthodox Church and how it has supported genocide and Serbian concentration camps, but the truth is the truth.

Serbs have started: The First Balkan War (to get Albanian lands and Macedonia), The Second Balkan War (Turkey was their ally and they fought against Bulgaria), WWI, WWII (indirectly by starting WWI,) War against Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo. Other than the battles when Russia backed them, they have them all.

Their pride is the 1389 surrender to the Turks. To make peace they gave their Saint's daughter to the Sultan's harem, and they fought against Christians in Nicolisa, the Second Kosovo War and sent 1500 knights to help the Turks take Constantinople.

A good book
This is a book which presents a history of Serbs in objective manner. Some says it is anti-Serb, but this is not true. It only mentions good as well as dark spots in Serbian history. All periods in Serbian history are covered sufficiently enough, although the emphasis (about half of the book) is on violent dissolution of Yugoslavia. This imbalanced coverage would be a shortcoming if this was a general history of Serbs, yet as its name tells this is not only a book on Serbs but also on destruction of Yugoslavia. When he deals with this period, some events (for example, economy in Serbia, details on atrocities) are given perhaps too great coverage and it would be better if this space were devoted to earlier periods in Serbian history.
Nevertheless, it is a book well worth money for buying and time for reading it.

Miserable propaganda
Throwing usnuported by the facts claims about Serbs and intentionally distorting the truth - are the only marks of this book. Good for garbage bin, as somebody already mentioned here.

Devoid of historical seriousness or journalistic integrity
It is necessary to correct the current trend of public commentary, which tends, systematically, not to understand events in the former Yugoslavia but to construct a propagandistic version of Balkan rivalries, designed to validate the existing post-modern myths and prejudices. This book faithfully reflects the post-modern blinkers that its author has helped first create and then perpetuate in his "coverage" of the Wars of Yugoslav Succession. This book reflects his (and their) belief that the Orthodox nations of Southeast Europe - embodied in "the Serbs" - are The Other vis-a-vis "The West" in the Huntingtonian sense. The author's assumptions are prejudiced in a coarse, primordial manner.

Judah's mindset helps us understand why the problem of the Balkans under UN/EU/NATO/UNMIK/KFOR/SFOR. . . is inseparable from the quandary of America under the bipartisan regime inside the Beltway, or that of Europe "united" under the Leviathan of Brussels. This book unintentionally poses many questions, and answers none. Can any meaningful unity of nations sharing European heritage be restored? To what extent, how, and why has the modern, secular, "post-Christian" West inherited the antipathy of West to the carriers of the Byzantine tradition? How do those two traditions converge, and how do they diverge, amidst the continuing onslaught of globalized secularism? Such issues are not merely political. They are as much "cultural" as theological, and they have been political all along. It is on the way we deal with them today that the future of our civilization will depend, and it that endeavor Judah has decided to side with the bad guys.

A book is badly needed to counter Judah's prejudice and ignorance about an area of the Old Continent which need never be the "powder keg of Europe." Though the Balkans, however delineated, contain many states and even more nations, they have one thing in common: for most of history they have not been masters of their own fate, but objects of policy by dominant outside powers. Though depicted by Judah as aggressing against their neighbors and generating wider conflicts, the Serbs in most cases had these conflicts foisted upon them by powerful outsiders and their local minions.

In particular Judah's attempt to relativize the Ustasha genocide of some 500-700,000 Serbs is scandalous. Had the same apparatus of quasi-historical whitewash been applied to the victims of Treblinka, such book surely would not have seen the light of day - and rightly so.

Even if all history-as a philosopher argued-is in some measure contemporary history, it need not be dominated by the obsessions of the day. The cause of tolerance in a troubled region can never be advanced by misrepresentation or by the sentimental lapse of seriousness which judges one patriotism as admirable and condemns another as inadmissible. This book is found wanting on all fronts. ... Read more

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The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Croatia relates the history of this country through a detailed chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant persons, places, and events; institutions and organizations; and political, economic, social, cultural, and religious facets. ... Read more

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1861 edition by F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary thing about the past worth remembering, and that was the fact that it is past and can't be restored."  Well, over recent years, The British Library, working with Microsoft has embarked on an ambitious programme to digitise its collection of 19th century books.

There are now 65,000  titles available  (that's an incredible 25 million pages) of material ranging from works by famous names such as  Dickens, Trollope and Hardy as well as many forgotten literary gems , all of which can now be printed on demand and purchased right here on Amazon.

Further information on The British Library and its digitisation programme can be found on The British Library website. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1861 edition by F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig. ... Read more

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Renewed Survival is an ethno-historic account of Jewish community life in Croatia. It traces the community's turbulent history from its inception in the late eighteenth century to the shifting political climate of the 1990s following the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Croatia's separation from Yugoslavia is explored ethnographically by examining the lives of the members of a small community of largely intercultural Jews. ... Read more

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For most of its history, Zagreb was a small town to which big things happened. It has been ruled by Hungary and the Habsburg Monarchy, threatened by the Ottomans, and absorbed into Yugoslavia. Today it is the capital city of the newly independent Croatia.
In Zagreb: A Cultural History, Celia Hawkesworth guides us through a modern city that reflects all the important trends in Central European culture, architecture, and fashion. We visit the city's center, a beautiful "green horseshoe," graced with trees and public gardens, and lined with imposing buildings. Hawkesworth explores this central core and the atmospheric old town on a rise above it, finding a mix of old and modern buildings, a rich cultural tradition, and a vibrant outdoor café life. She describes the many statues in the streets and squares, commemorating those who have contributed tothe city's unique inner life. She also examines the legacy of outside invasion, fire, earthquakes, and political strife, pointing to the street names that reflect Zagreb's turbulent past. Zagreb illuminates the artistic side of the city, discussing the sculpture of Ivan Mestrovic, the unique collections of paintings in the Strossmayer and Modern Galleries, and the novels and plays of Miroslav Krleza.
A perfect book for armchair travelers, Zagreb takes us on a captivating tour of one of Eastern Europe's leading cities. ... Read more

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During World War II, the Croatian ultra-nationalist Ustaa persecuted nearly two million Serbs, Jews, and Roma in the Independent State of Croatia (present-day Croatia and Bosnia). Political analysts often cite this genocide as proof that ethnic violence within the region is inevitable. However, an equally important reality is that within just four years, Ustaa excesses had provoked a widespread popular reaction against the violence and the national exclusivity that inspired it. Although many people in Croatia and Bosnia initially celebrated the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1941 and supported the declaration of Croatian independence, the Ustaa's brutal treatment of minority groups quickly alienated much of the population. Opposition to ethnic persecution took many forms, including assisting people targeted by the government, hiding victims or helping them to escape from the country, aiding political prisoners, and, publicly protesting discriminatory measures. Within the concentration camps, prisoners of different ethnic backgrounds came together in food sharing and news-gathering cooperatives in a common effort to survive.This rejection of ethnic violence served to discredit the extreme Croatian nationalism represented by the Ustaa - and also its Serbian counterpart. The result was a resurgence of Yugoslavism, a renewed emphasis on the interdependence of Serbs, Croats, Bosnian Muslims, and others. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

De-Mining the Field of Dreams
The negative reviews posted for this book indicate the challenge that Professor John Fine has taken on, and his courage in doing so. Nationalist mythology continues to envenom politics (and scholarship)in the Balkans, as in so much of the world. Potential readers should know the following: first, that John Fine is perhaps the world's leading authority on medieval and early modern Balkan history; second, that he knows and respects all the cultures that make up the Balkan tapestry; and third, that his work has been attacked by ethnic chauvinists and mythomanes from all three of the major ethnic communities of the former Yugoslavia, while earning the respect of open-minded Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian colleagues. That is itself is a tribute to his independence and integrity.

A book of this scope and ambition will naturally be challenged- and should be challenged- in detail.But its essential thesis seems to me incontrovertible: "political" ethnicity, in the Balkans as elsewhere, is a modern construct, which it is both meaningless, and potentially murderous, to retroject into the distant past, in the service of contemporary political agendas. The political manipulation of ethnicity is wreaking enormous devastation throughout the contemporary world. Anyone interested in understanding this crazy process will find much to ponder in John Fine's demanding, but magisterial book.

Misleading Propaganda
Having studied Eastern European history for a number of years now it pains me to have witnessed the slow decline of professor Fine's writings.He managaed to keep his biases under control somewhat earlier in his carreer but since the break up of Yugoslavia the level of vindictiveness in his writings have increased exponentially. This breathtaking piece of propaganda is a throwback to communist era chauvinism which will ring all too familiar to those who lived through those dark times.

Fine has shown a level of manipulativeness that I have not witnessed among modern historians in a long time.The book is full of wonderfull references to be sure but they are given little to no context.For example, he harps on the fact that of the inscriptions which mention Prince Branimir's name, only one calls him the duke of the Croats.What he doesn't mention is that the one which does, was commissioned by Branimir himself, while the others were written by Frankish monks imported by Branimir who continued to use the generic ethnic reference.As the primary carriers of culture and education, these foreign monks passed down their terminology.

Professor Fine also casually dismisses the countless references to Croats as refering to a small elite or military organization.I for one have never heard of a prince calling himself a duke of a few soldiers.Coupled with the other references to Prince Svetoslav of the Croats, Drzislav of the croats and King Zvonimir "the Croatian King" you have to wonder at Fine's motivations.

What angered me the most however was his deliberate misrepresentation of Wendy Bracewell's superb "The Uskoks of Senj" who Fine again pulls quotes from out of context.Bracewell was cautious about applying modern nationalist ideas topre enlightenment europe, as all historians are, but does confirm that both the local population of Dalmatia and the foreign overlords considered them to be of the same Croatian nation.As a sly slap to the face of a more professional historian, Fine says he'll assume her translation of Venetian sources are accurate then says nothing more on the subject.We as readers are left wondering where this is all leading as he seems to be running in circles.

It's been a long time coming but personal biases have seemingly gotten the best of Professor Fine.Avoid the steep cost of this book and wait for it to appear in your local library.If you have already been swindled as I have, then you can use it for the references and get the whole and accurate story from the originals.For anyone who is really interested in Croatian history I suggest "The Latin Epigraphic Monuments of Early Medieval Croatia" by Vedrana Delonga and "The Uskoks of Senj" by Wendy Bracewell.Both are fantastic and available for free at your local library.

Such a Waste
I was tempted to give this book 2 stars due to the wealth of sources used but unfortunately the author had a tendency to use only snippets of information which seem to support his thesis.However, most of his sources when read in its entirety directly contradict his conclusions, i.e. that a Croatian "nation" did not really exist until the national awakenings of the 19th century.

For example the author mentions a German traveller named Arnold von Harff who called everyone living in the vicinity of Dubrovnik "slavic" and not "croatian".What he does not mention however is that von Harff also wrote that "this city is situated in the Kingdom of Croatia".Slavs living in Croatia?Who would of thunk it?!But the author would have us believe that these people only thought of themselves as Slavs and not "Croats".A curious assertion to make given the enormous amount of evidence to the contrary.

However, the author only lists sources which he can manipulate to fit his thesis but others which are literally cut in stone he ignores such as the Baska Tablet the previous reviewer mentioned.Others so completely undermine his thesis that it is no wonder they were left out.One of the points the author repeatedly makes is that the population often identified more with the region they were living in such as "sclavonia" or "Dalmatia" ect.Is this not still true today?Can not a New Yorker also consider himself to be an American?In the case of Medieval Croatia the author argues no, but his reasoning is so twisted that anyone with common sense would be left shaking their head.

For example the author mentions Dominko Zlataric's translation of the greek Electra into "croatian" as a gift to Juraj Zrinski who the author says did not consider to be in the "croatian" language but "Dalmatian".For the author this is evidence that those slavs living in Dalmatia were not considered to be Croats.However, that Zrinksi called it "Dalmatian" and Zlataric "Croatian" only proves that although they were isolated politically, they still saw themselves as deriving from the same people.The author himself states that the dialects in the region were as varied as the numerous Italian dialects.But this is not evidence they were a diffent people.

If the author had bothered to include such foreign sources as Bernard von Breydenbach, Konrad von Grünemberg or Sir Richard Guylforde his readers would have had a clearer understanding of the political situation in Croatia at the time.All three say pretty much the same thing "...civitate que Ragusiu vocatur in Schlavonia provincia regni Croacie" or "Dubrovnik is in Sclavonia or Dalmatia, which is a province in Kingdom of Croatia."

In other words, the three terms are synonyms.It is such as simple and obvious explaination which even the lay reader would have picked up on had it been included.But then the author would not have had much of a book.Instead he jumps through so many unecessary hoops and twists of logic in order to prove his thesis.

As it is I would have to agree with the previous reviewer.The author blatantly admits to being a yugo nostalgic and it appears is not above twisting history to suit his agenda.Had he used this tactic for some ethnic minority it probably would have been decried as hate speech.

Disapointing
Some of the more specific problems I have with this particular book is the constant distinction the author makes between Croats and Slavs.Are not the Croats themselvs slavic, or atleast culturally slavic?If so then why such wonderment that historical sources used the terms interchangeably?Many still refer to all Eastern Europeans as slavs and Croats today often use the english form of their name when talking to foreigners rather than the native form "Hrvati".That they did the same in the middle ages is hardly surprising.

Secondly, the author's conclusions are convoluted and stretch incredulity to the limit.The author seems more intent on countering rising Croatian nationalism rather than portraying a credible history of the region.For example, any document refering to the Croats is dismissed as either being historically useless or an attempt by a few "Croatian nobles" to maintain control over their "slav subjects".But yet again the author doesn't really tell us just who he thinks these minority Croats are.The constant mental acrobatics in the book will quickly grate on most students of history.

The biggest problem I have with this book however is that evidence of Croatian rule and settlement in the region which is not easily dismissed such as the Baska Tablet naming Zvonimir as the King of the Croatians is strangely absent.Professor Fine has once again made the same mistake he made in his book "The Bosnian Church: A new interpretation", i.e. he formed his theory first then shoehorns the evidence to fit.Moreover, his animus towards the Croatians is so palpable in both works that one wonders if his marriage to a Serbian woman has clouded his judgement as a historian.A better title to this book would be "When the Croats did not matter in the Balkans".

If you are looking for a more balanced and frankly plausible history of Croatia, I suggest you look elsewhere.

raising the bar
One suspects that this book is intended to be the author's magnum opus. If so, it has succeeded. This work is no place to start for beginners in Balkan history (or linguistics, or literature). You need to know your onions in at least one of these fields, or much of the discussion will simply go past you. But it does lay down what is sure to be recognised as a definitive benchmark for the subject delineated by its combative title.

The scope and depth of the research is awe-inspiring; clearly, this book is the product of a lifetime's reading. The bibliography at the back is mind-numbing - even if most of it consists of newspaper and journal articles (which are largely, though not entirely, in Croatian and its cognates, of course).

I feel reticent about making any criticism at all in the face of such magisterial academic authority, though I would, somewhat tremulously, venture this: It is a shame that more attention has not been paid to the specifically religious aspect of identity - whether `ethnic' or, later, `national'. No one can dispute that this played, and continues to play, a major rôle in the formation of ethnic consciousness. Yet, as the Editorial Review on this site warns us, Fine has chosen to concentrate on the secular, linguistic and literary aspects of identity formation. It is not merely that, in consequence of this decision, his discussion can seem unduly technical, but that a vital - perhaps the most important - consideration for ordinary people, in the past under discussion as well as in the present, is overlooked. And this fact will provide fuel for Fine's enemies. That is a pity, because the case he is making is indubitably correct: modern nationalisms are a back-projection onto a past that never was - or, at least, never had the kinds of consciousness that nationalists insist upon. Fine is taking a tilt, not only at the HDZ and its fellow-travellers, but at the world of Braveheart and its associated nonsense in comfortable, western countries.

I ordered this book back in August, when its appearance was advertised as imminent, though it only arrived recently- seven months late. But it was nobody's fault. The `Acknowledgments' section makes it plain that the author has been seriously ill while the MS has been at the publisher's, and this has clearly been the cause of the delay. Those who care - about Fine, about the Balkans, or just about history - should pray that he recovers to produce more work of this calibre. But it is hard to think that either he or anyone else will get very much further ahead in the discussion than this truly excellent work. ... Read more

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This special issue provides important new scholarship from a variety of perspectives on the structure, ideology and political history of the central fascist group in interwar and Second World War Yugoslavia, the Croatian Ustasha. It is the first volume in English to closely explore the Ustasha’s Independent State of Croatia between 1941 and 1945, a period when it was an active collaborator with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and largely responsible for Yugoslavia suffering the highest proportion of national casualties in the Second World War.

By using the top scholars in the field to explore the nature of the NDH, The Independent State of Croatia 1941-45 contributes to scholarly understandings of Croatian nationalism, Balkan politics, European fascism, and genocide in the Second World War.