The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-2012

802 Pages·1999·8.636 MB·English

by  Misha Glenny

Praise for The Balkans and Misha Glenny
“Misha Glenny is the wisest and most reflective of all the Western
journalists who have covered this part of Europe in the past two
decades. . . . This was an enormously ambitious book to undertake,
but it is the book which Europe and America need.” — Observer
“His book covers an amazing amount of historical and geographical
ground, ranging from early nineteenth- century Greece to Kosovo
the day before yesterday. . . . This is popular history of the Norman
Davies school, conceived on a large scale, highly readable, accessible,
full of the music of the past. Its great strengths are evocation, fasci-
nating detail and narrative sweep. A great achievement.”
— Mail on Sunday
“Above all, the book is justified by the insights which add up to a
convincing picture of the problems.” — Sunday Times
“An endeavor which deserves extraordinary admiration and as yet
2
has no rival.” —G uardian
2
2
“Compelling . . . Glenny’s book should be required reading for all
2
those wishing to know what has gone wrong with the region.”
2
—Irish Times
2
2
“Excellent . . . Glenny’s audacious theme is that the Balkans are not a
2
freestanding powder keg, but a ‘powder trail’ laid by the great pow-
2
ers themselves.” — New Republic
2
“Smoothly written and commendably focused.”
— Wall Street Journal
“The first comprehensive history of the relationship in the modern
era between the great powers and the various Balkan peoples.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
“A very considerable achievement . . . both heartrending and beauti-
S
fully judged.” — Los Angeles Times
N
Balkans_ISTC_int_pi-iv.indd 1 12-08-15 2:14 PM
1
2
3
also by misha glenny
4
5
6 The Balkans:
7 Nationalism, War and the Great Powers 1804–1999
8
The Fall of Yugoslavia
9
0
The Rebirth of History:
1
Eastern Europe in the Age of Democracy
2
3 McMafia:
4 A Journey through the Global Criminal Underworld
5
DarkMarket: Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You
6
7
8
9
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8S
9N
Balkans_ISTC_int_pi-iv.indd 2 12-08-15 2:14 PM
T H E B A L K A N S
Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers
1804–2012
Misha Glenny
(cid:122)(cid:3)(cid:122)(cid:3)(cid:122)
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
S
N
Balkans_ISTC_int_pi-iv.indd 3 12-08-15 2:14 PM
1 Copyright © 1999, 2012 Misha Glenny
2
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
3 in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
4 recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publisher.
5
6 First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin, a member of
7 Penguin Putnam Inc., 2000
Published in Penguin Books 2001
8
Edition with a new epilogue published 2012
9
0 This edition published in 2012 by Distributed in Canada by
House of Anansi Press Inc. HarperCollins Canada Ltd.
1
110 Spadina Avenue, Suite 801 1995 Markham Road
2 Toronto, ON, M5V 2K4 Scarborough, ON, M1B 5M8
3 Tel. [phone] Toll free tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]
4
www.houseofanansi.com
5
6 House of Anansi Press is committed to protecting our natural environment.
As part of our efforts, the interior of this book is printed on paper that contains
7
100% post-consumer recycled fibres, is acid-free, and is processed chlorine-free.
8
16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5
9
0
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
1
Glenny, Misha
2
The Balkans : nationalism, war, and the great
3 powers, 1804–2012 / Misha Glenny. — New and updated ed.
4
Includes bibliographical references and index.
5
Issued also in electronic format.
6 ISBN 978-1-77089-273-6
7
1. Balkan Peninsula—Politics and government—19th century.
8
2. Balkan Peninsula—Politics and government—20th century.
9 3. Balkan Peninsula—Politics and government—21st century.
0 4. Nationalism—Balkan Peninsula. I. Title.
1
DR43.G54 2012 949.6’028 C2012-903338-3
2
3 Cover design: Jim Tierney
4
5
6 We acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program
the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the
7
Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.
8S
9N Printed and bound in Canada
Balkans_ISTC_int_pi-iv.indd 4 12-08-15 2:14 PM
To my mother and Jack for everything
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
S
N
Balkans_ISTC_int_pv-xxvi.indd 5 12-08-15 2:22 PM
Balkans_ISTC_int_pv-xxvi.indd 6 12-08-15 2:22 PM
Warkworth. Before northumberland’s Castle. Enter rumour,
painted full of tongues.
rum: Open your ears; for which of you will stop
The vent of hearing when loud Rumour speaks?
I, from the orient to the drooping west,
Making the wind my post-horse, still unfold
The acts commenced on this ball of earth:
Upon my tongues continual slanders ride,
The which in every language I pronounce,
Stuffing the ears of men with false reports.
I speak of peace, while covert enmity
Under the smile of safety wounds the world:
And who but Rumour, who but only I,
Make fearful musters and prepar’d defence,
Whilst the big year, swoln with some other grief,
Is thought with child by the stern tyrant war,
2
And no such matter? Rumour is a pipe
2
Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures,
2
And of so easy and so plain a stop
2
That the blunt monster with uncounted heads,
2
The still-discordant wavering multitude,
2
Can play upon it. But what need I thus
2
My well-known body to anatomize
2
Among my household? Why is Rumour here?
2
2
From the prologue to Henry IV, Pt. 2
S
N
Balkans_ISTC_int_pv-xxvi.indd 7 12-08-15 2:22 PM
Balkans_ISTC_int_pv-xxvi.indd 8 12-08-15 2:22 PM
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements xi
Maps xiii–xx
Introduction xxi
1 A confederacy of peasants
Rebellion and revolution, 1804–66 1
2 The realm of ruins
Reform and decay, 1839–78 70
3 A maze of conspiracy
The southern Balkans, 1878–1914 135
2
4 The empire of illusions
2
The northern Balkans, 1878–1914 249
2
5 A house of wars 2
War and peace, 1914–24 307
2
6 The palaces of deceit 2
The royal dictatorships, 1923–41 393 2
2
7 City of the dead
Occupation, genocide, liberation, civil war, 1941–9 478 2
2
8 Prisons of history
Communism and militarism, 1949–89 545
9 The Balkan vortex
Nationalism, war and NATO, 1989–99 634
Epilogue: The Swinging Doors
Europe, crime and economic crisis, 1999–2012 663
Glossary 707
Notes 711
Bibliography 733 S
Index 747 N
Balkans_ISTC_int_pv-xxvi.indd 9 12-08-15 2:22 PM