In fact, both Dimitrov and Tito were toying with "Balkan federation" idea from as early as 1944 and they signed custom agreement in 1947, roughly a year before Stalin-Tito split. Following foot-dragging on both side was caused by power struggle over who would lead new union (Dimitrov wanted 50/50 and Tito, leading more populous and developed country, wanted to be a big cheese). Would Dimitrov died 1.5 years earlier then IOTL, it is possible that Tito's ambitions would be satisfied by integrating Bulgaria into Yugoslavia, Stalin's attitude would be more mellow and split would not happen. However, resulting "Big Yugoslavia" would have all the ills old Yugoslavia did and more (relationships between Bulgarians and Serbs were complicated).
Your challenge, mirroring Thande's one, is to make the Balkans as unified as you can with a POD before the Yugo-Soviet split. Bonus points if you also achieve a "Northern Slavic Unification" between States like Czechoslovakia and Poland !
You are very wrong. Serbian and Croatian are pretty close (dialects of the same language, as Standard German and the language Austria uses) and Bosnians speak sub-dialect of Croatians, but Bulgarian (and Macedonian, which is but a Bulgarian dialect) is different. Bulgarian and Serbian aren't much close to each other than Standard Spanish and Portuguese, may be even less. And Slovenian is another Slavic language in it's own right.It really shouldn't have been that difficult, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, and Croatian are all more or less dialects of the same language.
In fact, both Dimitrov and Tito were toying with "Balkan federation" idea from as early as 1944 and they signed custom agreement in 1947, roughly a year before Stalin-Tito split. Following foot-dragging on both side was caused by power struggle over who would lead new union (Dimitrov wanted 50/50 and Tito, leading more populous and developed country, wanted to be a big cheese). Would Dimitrov died 1.5 years earlier then IOTL, it is possible that Tito's ambitions would be satisfied by integrating Bulgaria into Yugoslavia, Stalin's attitude would be more mellow and split would not happen. However, resulting "Big Yugoslavia" would have all the ills old Yugoslavia did and more (relationships between Bulgarians and Serbs were complicated).
You are very wrong. Serbian and Croatian are pretty close (dialects of the same language, as Standard German and the language Austria uses) and Bosnians speak sub-dialect of Croatians, but Bulgarian (and Macedonian, which is but a Bulgarian dialect) is different. Bulgarian and Serbian aren't much close to each other than Standard Spanish and Portuguese, may be even less. And Slovenian is another Slavic language in it's own right.
Manfr, would you give bonus points for Czechs entering union with Yugoslavia?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Corridor
Theoretically yes, but let's put it this way: I don't believe that Bulgarians would do something reckless enough to provoke direct military responce. I was thinking of sequence of small changes after Bled accord is signed and Dimitrov is dead. Stalin might be less then excited about new union, but I'm sure there's a TL where he could let it happen. However, having less ambitious Tito would help too.Might this provoke Stalinist intervention, if only to break Bulgaria away from "Greater Yugoslavia"?
I believe at this point Soviet Army units still garrisoned Romania and Hungary. However, invasion would be a bitch, Soviets would be about the only kind of invading force likely to meet fierce resistance of both Serbs and Croats.(Getting to Yugoslavia itself might be kind of hard)
Albania could join "Big Yugoslavia" pretty easily. They were Serbian marionettes, for all intents and purposes, relying on Yugoslavian market for trade and Yugoslavian advisors to make new communist bureaucracy work. Getting Greece into fold calls for alternative Britons, who should allow Royalist government in Greece to fall (unlikely in Cold War atmosphere).I might say additional bonus points if somehow Albania, italian Friuli and Greeece are also parte of the "thing" !
Getting Greece into fold calls for alternative Britons, who should allow Royalist government in Greece to fall (unlikely in Cold War atmosphere).
You are very wrong. Serbian and Croatian are pretty close (dialects of the same language, as Standard German and the language Austria uses) and Bosnians speak sub-dialect of Croatians,
Some Bosnians might take offence to that.