Early History

• Greeks founded the area between 750-600 B.C.
• The Romans the took most of the area after
• When the Roman empire was divided the east became the Byzantine empire
• Under the Byzantine empire rule all of its people became Orthodox Christians

Kingdoms and Empires

• Today's southeastern European countries first appear as kingdoms between A.D. 800 and 1400.
• The Ottoman Turks conquered the region and ruled until the 1800s.
• The Ottomans tolerated other religious faiths.
• The Ottoman Empire weakened in the late 1800s.

Slav Nationalism

• The Russians fought the Turks for the Black Sea and encouraged the Slavs to revolt against the Turks.
• The Russians appealed to the Slavic nationalism.
• The Serbs revolted in 1815 and became self-governing in 1817.
• The Austro-Hungarians responded to Slavic nationalism by occupying territories.
• To stop the Serbs from expanding, European powers made Albania an independent country.
• In 1914, a Serb nationalist shot and killed the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne and sparked World War I.

Creation of Yugoslavia

• At the end of World War I, Austria-Hungary was broken apart.
• Austria became a small territory, and Hungary lost its eastern province to Romania.
• A peace settlement created Yugoslavia, which brought the region's Serbs, Bosnians, Croatians, Macedonians, Montenegrins and Slovenes together.
• Eventually a civil war broke out in the 1990s.

Culture

• The Balkans are the most diverse region in Europe.
• It has been a zone of conflict between eastern and western Christianity.
• Balkan diets combine the foods of Hungarians and Salvs with Mediterranean foods.
• In Greece and Turkey, yogurt, cheeses, fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables are important parts of meals.
• Holidays are celebrated there by the different religions and ancient battles.

Southeastern Europe Today

• Like many southeastern European countries, Yugoslavia was occupied by Germany during World War II.
• After the war, a communist government took over.
• The strong central government prevented ethnic conflict.
• In 1991, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia began to break away.
• A bloody civil war followed.
• The region struggles with violence.

The Former Yugoslavia

• Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and Montenegro.
• The Serbian government supported ethnic Serbs fighting in civil wars in Croatia and in Bosnia in the early 1990s.
• Tensions between ethnic groups have been a problem in Serbia.
• Many conflicts are between Serbs and Albanians, which led to civil wars in the 1990s.
• In 1999, the United States and other countries sent troops to keep peace and there are still troops there today.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Bosnia and Herzegovina are generally referred to as Bosnia.
• Forth percent of Bosnians are Muslims and a large number are Roman Catholic.
• A bloody civil war broke out between the groups for control of territory and the capital was heavily damaged.

Croatia

The capital of Croatia is Zagreb. Most people in Croatia are Roman Catholic. Serbs made up about 12% of the population in the earrly 1990s. In 1991 serbs tried to claim part of Croatia for Serbia. This caused a lot of fighting until 1995 when an agreement was reached and many serbs left the country.

Slovenia

Slovenia used to be part of Austria. It trades with many Western European countries. Most people are Roman Catholic except a few ethnic minorities. Some fighting occured after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia partialy because of the minorities. Ljubljana, the countries capital is the major centor of trade.

Macedonia

When Macidonia declared independence from Yugoslavia Greece objected to the new name. Macedonia is the name of a province in northern Greece that has historical ties to the republic. Greece was afraid that Macedonia would try to take over the province. Because of this Greece wouldn't trade with Macedonia until the mid 1990s. This slowed the movement from the command economy that it had under the communists to a free market. Macedonia has however made progress in establishing free markets.

Romania

Communists took over Romania at the end of WW2. Then the government was overthrown during bloody fighting. the capital, Bucharest, is the largest industrial center. Today most people are farmers. 90% of the population is ethnic Romanian. Roma make up over 2% of the population. Roma may have decended from people in northern India. The rest of the population is Hungarian.

Moldova

Control of Moldolva has shifted many times throughout history. Turks, Austria, Russia, Romania, Hungary, and Polish Princes. The countries population reflects all of these cultures. Moldolva declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The country suffers from many polittical and economic problems. About 40% of the labor force works in agriculture. Chisinauis the capitol and also the major industrial center of the country.

Bulgaria

The mountainous country of Bulgaria has slowly made progress since the fall of communism and a market economy is growing gradually and people are starting to have more freedoms. Most industries are located near Sofia, the capital. about 9% of the people are ethnic Turks.

Albania

Albania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The capital, Tirane, has a population of around 270,000. About 70% of people in Albania are Muslim. Fueding between the communist governments of the Soviet Union and China caused Albania to be isolated. Since the fall of communist government in the 1990s, Albania has tried to move towards a Democracy and free market system.