Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
During the 1960s the concentration of power in Belgrade became an increasingly testy
issue as it became apparent that money from the more prosperous republics of Slovenia
and Croatia was being distributed to the other republics, and not always fairly. Unrest
reached a crescendo in 1971 when reformers called for greater economic autonomy and
the loosening of ties within the Yugoslav federation, but nationalistic elements manifes-
ted themselves as well. Tito's 1974 constitution afforded the republics more autonomy,
but the stage was set for the rise of nationalism and the wars of the 1990s.
Tito left a shaky Yugoslavia upon his death in May 1980. A presidency rotating among
the six republics could not compensate for the loss of his steadying hand at the helm. The
authority of the central government sank with the economy, and long-suppressed mistrust
among Yugoslavia's ethnic groups resurfaced.
Božidar Jezernik's
Wild Europe
is a fascinating collage of travellers' impressions of the Balkans over 500
years. Two lively chapters record Western perceptions of Montenegro.
