Democratization of Bosnia and Herzegovina
A history of democratization in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Contents
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Following the Treaty of Trianon, Bosnia and Herzegovina were removed from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and wrapped into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The official name became Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929.
On March 27th, 1941, King Peter II overthrew the Axis-aligned regency of Paul. Germany invaded in retaliation.
Occupation
During World War 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina were governed by the Independent State of Croatia.
Yugoslavia
Tito led the Yugoslav Partisans to liberate the former kingdom, and following World War 2 established the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina was administered as a federal republic within Yugoslavia.
After Tito died, the chair of the presidency council began to rotate among members.
Dayton Agreement
When Mesić became chair of the presidency council, he ceased to attend meetings. The members from Slovenia and Macedonia similarly abandoned government, leaving just Milošević and his supporters. This effectively ended the executive power of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum and decided to also declare independence. Generally, Bosniaks and Croats within the state favored this development, while Serbs did not.
In October 1991, Serb members of parliament abandoned the government. By January they had established a National Assembly and declared an independent Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. By August this had developed into Republika Srpska.
Bosnia and Herzegovina meanwhile formally declared independence in March and was admitted to the UN in May.
Tensions escalated into the Bosnian War.
The Dayton Agreement established the current state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, wherein Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are confederated and jointly govern the Brčko District.