R1920th&21st

War and conflict: orgins, developments, technology, and their consequences. 20th and 21st century

After WWII, many of the Eastern countries were trying to rejoin the West and revive their countries with economic reconstruction and political moderation and compromise. It was difficult for many of the countries during the transition though and not all were successful. The biggest tragedy was in Yugoslavia. Under the rule of Josip Tito it had been a federation of republics under a strict communist rule. After Tito’s death, power was passed and the new ruler encouraged regional and ethnic conflicts which were inspired by massacres during WWII, and resulted in an economic decline. The civil wars in Yugoslavia in 1989 was the initial fault in breaking up the country and were a monument to human cruelty and evil in the worst tradition of the twentieth century.

McKay, John P. __A History of Western Society__. 7th ed. New York City: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.