Yugoslavia Surviving?

Is it possible for Yugoslavia to have survived, Communist or otherwise? could they pull a Czechoslovakia or a Hungary and become a Democratic nation ? or was Yugoslavia destined to fall?
 
ONLY if nationalisms, specialy serbians perhaps, were kept TIGHTLY in check. And a real egalitarian reform was started maybe. This seems to be the consensus.
 
It went deeper then that.

I would think it would have to go back further and stave off the issues that plagued almost all Communist countries in that they needed to fight the urge to not keep the old gaurd in power for a prolonged time and keep new blood from reforming the party line. Which for the former Yugoslavia, gave a real sense of disolutionment among even the most moderate youth which made them lean towards independent nationalist movements as the key to take the reigns of their political future.
 
Too late, their bloodfeuding run for long... WW2 by example, Ustachi and all.

And Ottomans for Bosnians maybe - did they serve the Empire more, being muslim and all?

Well muslims were the only ones able to reach Jannisary or other high ranked commands within the military and the highest status of Sulton within the Ottoman Empire.

But the whole bloodfeud issue after WWII and prior to the IMF imposted austerity measures in the 1980s has been a half blungeoned exageration of the complete truth in what lead to the dissolutionment of the Federation. Key word is that it was always a federation of Communist states who was lead by a unifying strongman, Tito Broz.

I would say that the root of Balkan problem like many during the 20th century was economics and living standards. It was also an issue that younger people seemed barred from higher political office under Tito Broz. After his death and by the time younger politicians were introduced the economics were so dire that the only way out by many was to take down the overburdening welfare state that was the only unifying factor besides the army. Which left nothing but the individual states and other ethnic enclaves within that were taken advantage of by warlords as bases to conquer whatever territories of value and incorporate them into whoevers' emerging side they claimed to fight for.

The only ones who did not directly participate in the ensuing bloodbath in some form was Slovenia, the first state to declare independence in 1990 and received the initial brunt of the JNA along with NATO support the year after, who many argue set the precedent for the rest to follow. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia also declared independence in 1990 but experienced no such force. Like Slovenia, Macedonia did not have sectarian violence but it did not pose as much value as the former which was Yugoslavia's gateway to western Europe, thus no challenge.

Of course that is even an over simplification of what lead to the fall of Yugoslavia. Anyone else can correct any inconsistencies I may have.
 
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Yugoslavia could have survived as an intact entity. The reasons it fell apart are several.

1) Serbian nationalism was a way of expressing dissent against the system. Eventually, other ethnic groups reacted against it. A less extreme version of Serbian nationalism could have developed instead. Or the Communists could have handled ethnic tensions better, perhaps by a more effective internal constitution. IOTL, once Communism collapse, Serbian nationalism was a way for post-Communists to quickly gain credibility and legitimacy.

2) There was a great economic disparity in Yugoslavia. Basically the north was developed and relatively rich, while the south was impoverished. Attempts to build up the south basically meant diverting resources from the north to the south which angered people in the north (Slovenes, Croats, some Serbs) to benefit Macedonians and Albanians. This created a lot of incentive for the northern republics to leave Yugoslavia once trouble started. You'd either need to have the south more developed before the mid 1980s, the north not feel exploited, or better economic handling all around.

3) Besides these general issues, there were several specifics that caused things to spiral out of control in 1989-1991. The Yugoslav economy was suffering from extreme stress at that time, exacerbating existing tensions. The new Yugoslav Prime Minister Markovic favored market based reforms to eventually revitalize the economy. He was being sabotaged by Milosevic who was using Sebian nationalism as his ticket to power. Yugoslavia had problems with hyperinflationa and paying off previous debts to the West. In 1990, Markovic asked for restructuring of Yugoslavia's debts and postpone their payment. Having that done would have bolstered Marovic in his political position at home. It would have enhanced his prestige and credibility while giving the Yugoslav economy room to recover and defuse tensions. But the various Western countries and institutions (IMF) at the time refused to do so. I think this is the critical time.

If Yugoslavia got the support it needed during this time, then it did not need to end in violence. Instead, with a modicum of support that allowed money that IOTL paid off Western debts instead went to supporting transfer payments to the republics, Yugoslavia might have survived. Once past the crisis point with a growing economy and other internal reforms, Yugoslavia would still exist today.
 
Someone suggested if the capital was moved to Sarajevo, it would be a boon to a common Yugoslav identity. Belgrade was apparently too tied to Serbia.

I suggested in another thread that if the Yugo was a better car, it could be a successful export item and improve the Yugoslav economy. People might be richer and happier and not listen to demagogues.
 
Someone suggested if the capital was moved to Sarajevo, it would be a boon to a common Yugoslav identity. Belgrade was apparently too tied to Serbia.
It also happened to be nearer to the centre of the country.

I've always thought a country's capital should be as close to the centre as possible. Otherwise, contempt of its rulers tends to breed in the outermost regions, with potentially bad results.
 
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