LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Balkan History
built 177 days ago
Twenty-Five Lectures in Balkan History" is an ongoing project which were originally written for an introductory undergraduate course on modern Balkan history, taught at Swarthmore College in 1995. The twenty five lectures are divided into 13 topics including Defining the "Balkans:" An other Europe; Limitations of Western models in the interwar period; The Balkans in the age of bi-polar politics and Explaining the revolutions of the 1980s. Uses range of formats to display the lectures. Has some useful maps
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The following... unfolding of Balkan history was rather different. Balkan radicalism was outflanked by nationalism, which thenceforth had two distinct meanings. On the one side, nationalism gave voice to the objective of the organizing of an oppressed population in the form of a political society. On the other, nationalism had the credentials of chauvinistic state politics for the sake of each national exploiter class. Only the second from of nationalism was hegemonic in the sense that it could postulate the interests of one social class as general interests of an organized society. Nationalism was indeed the ideology of the ascendant Balkan bourgeoisies and dynastic oligarchies, but it also functioned as a halfway, segmental consciousness of the political oppression.
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The cruel statistics of Balkan history show that not a single problem in the region has been resolved with a compromise, but that all “agreements” are a result either of wars or external interventions. The last series of Balkan wars in the territory of former Yugoslavia, including the one in Macedonia in 2001, only confirmed this observation. In that sense, the unilateral move of the US to accept the constitutional name of Macedonia is only a historical continuation of the external interventions in Balkan matters. The great power explained its move as a desire to introduce stability in the Balkans. True. However, it was precisely the policy of the two main power centers, the US and the EU, which, as hostages to Greek policy, continuously held the name issue open for more than thirteen years, causing a serious erosion of Macedonian national dignity, with two very dangerous consequences.
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Leften S. Stavrianos’ magnificent volume, The Balkans since 1453, is an authoritative resource for students of Balkan History. It is the work of an extraordinary scholar who integrates every aspect of the region — geography, commerce, religion, culture, education, and foreign interests — to present his analysis. The title can be found as mandatory reading on book lists for undergraduate and graduate courses at major universities, and is even on a list of “Books of Interest” published by Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou on his personal website.
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This work of synthesis, clarity, and precision covers a crucial period in the history of the Balkans. The author treats only a century and a half, instead of taking a much longer period as other works on the Balkans do. For students this gives the advantage that they are not discouraged by an avalanche of names and facts. The book contains fifteen chronological chapters, half of which are devoted to the years 1900-1945. The author integrates the economic history, not just as a background to the political and social developments, but as a driving force. This puts into perspective the way the history of the Balkans is all too often seen: as an antique tragedy or a Viennese operate.
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In this refreshing book, the author focuses on the many aspects of Medieval Balkan history that are less known, refuting well established, but erroneous or nationalistically biased interpretations. His critical examinations of the scarce and often contradictory sources appear like exciting excursions through history and genuine lessons in historical criticism.
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Balkan History