Serbia: The Dream of a Greater Serbia

Call Number
350-1-1:215/1

General information

Call No.:
350-1-1:215/1
Part of series
HU OSA 350-1-1 Records of the International Monitor Institute: Europe: Balkan Archive
Located at
BetaSP NTSC #215 / No. 1
Digital ver. identifier
HU_OSA_00000215
Original Title
Serbien: Der Traum vom Grossreich
Date of air
1991-07-01
Date of production
1991
Date
1991
Level
Item
Primary Type
Moving image
Language
German

Content

Form/Genre
Documentary film
Contents Summary
This documentary studies the rise of Serbian nationalism in the former Yugoslavia as it came to a head in early 1991, shortly before the outbreak of full-scale war. The film begins with a brief overview of the Yugoslavia, describing the historical and political background, ethnic make-up, and geography of the region. The roots of the drive for a Greater Serbia are traced back to the renowned memorandum published by the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Belgrade, outlining Serbian territorial aspirations in the case of a disintegrating Yugoslavia. The program then reflects on the effort to immortalize the historic battle of Kosovo Polje (Field of Blackbirds) in 1389 as a means to exploit ethnic conflict. Footage is then shown from a modern Serbian TV movie which depicts the Serbs fighting the Turks. The documentary then delves into the relationship between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo, from the era of Tito's Yugoslavia up to the early 90s, describing how the ethnic make-up in Kosovo has changed through the years as Serbs emigrated to other areas in Yugoslavia and Kosovar Albanians continued to maintain the highest birthrate in Europe. Kosovo's relative autonomy under Tito is explained, showing how Serbian nationalists succeeded during the late 80s in revoking freedoms enjoyed by the Albanian majority. The documentary likens the plight of Kosovo's Albanians to black South Africans under Apartheid, detailing how Serbian politicians gained control of key positions of power in Kosovo, fortifying their actions by creating an oppressive police force dominated by Serbs. The University Clinic of Pristina is cited as another prime example of an overall nationalist pattern in which the Serbian-controlled government in Kosovo arbitrarily replaced Albanian doctors with Serbian doctors. Serbian civilians are filmed and interviewed about being supplied with weapons by Serbian authorities. The documentary shows how the school system in Kosovo became a quasi-Serbian institution, enforcing a Serbian learning plan and eliminating instruction in the Albanian language, resulting in a boycott of all public schools in Kosovo by ethnic Albanians. Footage is shown of classes being taught by Albanian teachers in private homes. The documentary then shifts its focus to Banja Luka, one of Bosnia's largest cities. Ethnic Muslims' representation in politics, education, and police in Banja Luka and Bosnia are contrasted with that of Kosovo's ethnic Albanians. The concentrations of ethnic Serbs along the former border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from the Krajina region to Vojvodina, are discussed as providing the pretext for an ethnic geography supportive of the territorial aspirations of a Greater Serbia. The documentary also claims that the half a million ethnic Germans that lived in Yugoslavia between the World Wars were eventually driven out by the end of World War II. It is claimed that these were some the first victims of a coming Serbian nationalism, citing numerous books from German culture that can still be found at a school in Sremski Karlovski, Vojvodina. The program then shifts its focus back to the Krajina region, showing where ethnic concentrations of Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs are located. The effect of World War II's Croatian Ustasa state is then explored, showing how the region's history has played into the modern conflict, especially the massacres of Serbian civilians in Glina and Jasenovac. The documentary then shifts back to modern Yugoslavia, focusing on Tito's construction of the Yugoslav state after World War II and how the economies of the different republics became specialized. The size of Serbia's economy is described as modest, stemming from problems mounting after Tito's death such as scaled-back salaries and higher unemployment. The documentary asserts that economic conditions played a major role in the outbreak of conflict, largely because Serbia would have faced certain bankruptcy without the added revenue of republics such as Croatia and Slovenia to help sustain it. Tito and his ideas of a unified, socialist Yugoslavia are discussed as a failed institution. The military is cited as being in limbo, built on the foundations of a Yugoslav state, now with an uncertain future and prone towards violent complicity in the drive for a Greater Serbia because of the overwhelming numbers of high-ranking Serbian officers. The program then returns to the Battle of Kosovo Polje, reflecting on how ethnic conflict once again threatens the region and questioning whether Croatia and Slovenia's bids for independence will become bloody conflicts by clashing with the ideals of a Greater Serbia. Interviews featured in the documentary include: Momcilo Trajkovic, Serbian Parliament Member in Kosovo; Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK); Serbian Patriarch Pavle Stojcevic; Milovan Djilas, author and ex-partisan critic of the Yugoslavian state; Dr. Dejan Medakovic, Professor at the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences; Damjan Antic, Mayor of Dvor; Milos Micic, Serbian Orthodox Priest; Stanka Lakovit, former Partisan; and General Mate Pehjar, Military Academy of Belgrade. Other footage shown in the documentary includes: a funeral for a slain policeman in Pakrac; the Studenica and Pec Monasteries; ethnic Albanians in markets and cafes in Pristina, panoramas of Pristina; the University Clinic hospital in Pristina; ethnic Albanian schoolchildren in class; armed Serbian civilians and police units in Kosovo; city views of Banja Luka, Vojvodina, and Karlovac; destruction of civilian property and cultural heritage in the Krajina; Jasenovac; archival footage of Tito with Churchill and Kruschev; factories in Uzice, Serbia; guards at Tito's grave and state-office-turned-museum in Dedinje; and troops training at a special officers academy in Serbia.

Context

Associated Names
Macho, Erich (Director)
ORF (Producer)