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brief history
1878
Serbia joins Croatia and Slovenia as the Yugoslav federation.
1918
A new state is created, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, with Serbs being the largest nation in the Kingdom. The Yugoslav government shuts down all Albanian-language schools in Kosovo and forces Albanians to assimilate or emigrate.
1921
The country of Albania is formed.
1926
"An agreement is reached for the borders of Albania. Half a million Albanians are left inside the territory of Yugoslavia called Kosovo and Metohija (Kosmet) by Slavs and Kosova by Albanians."
WWII
Yugoslavia is invaded by Germany and its allies (the Axis occupation). The occupiers "encourage the establishment of Albanians and media" (Mertus, p. 286). Kosovo Albanians support this occupation. Kosovo Albanians harass and drive out thousands of Slavic families.
After WW II
Josep Tito, head of the Communist Party, retains Kosovo within Serbia to win the Serbs over to communism, all the while enforcing ethnic tolerance throughout Yugoslavia.
1946
Yugoslav Constitution is adopted. It is now a federal state of six sovereign republics. In the Republic of Serbia, the province of Vojvodina and the region of Kosovo-Metohija are given some autonomy, but Kosovo-Metohija's administrative units have no decision-making authority.
1948
Tito's regime is rejected from the communist bloc. Persecution of Kosovo-Albanian by Yugoslav security police is heightened under the direction Yugoslav vice-president Aleksandar Rankovic. Serbs begin to leave Kosovo due to economic reasons and because of alleged Albanian harassment.
1961
Muslims are given the status of a 'nation'. Albanians in Yugoslavia has asked for the same status recognition but to no avail. They are still a 'national minority'.
1968-1974
Kosovo and Vojvodina are given more autonomy. 1974's new Constitution further decentralizes government structure. The republics belong to 'nations', with their power mainly based on national identity. Emigration of Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo continues. Kosovo Albanians are allowed education in their language, and access to Albanian literature and culture.
1981
Ethnic Albanian students protest massively throughout Kosovo. Initial demands are for better cafeteria food and dormitory conditions. But some of the following protests' demands vary from a Kosovo Republic to the unity of Kosovo with Albania. The number of civilians killed by the police varies from source to source. Yugoslav press says the toll is 11, while Kosovars claim almost one thousand.
1986
The Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is leaked to the press. It calls for Serbian nationalism, and a "blueprint for war." It also features alleged human rights violations of Serbs by Kosovo-Albanians. Slobodan Milosovic, new leader of the League of Communists of Serbia, supports the basic concepts of the Memorandum.
1987
Milosovic calls for a diminishing of the Kosovo and Vojvodina's autonomy. At a demonstration against Kosovo-Albanians' alleged abuses, he tells Serbs: "no one shall beat these people!"
Aziz Kelmendi, a young Albanian soldier of the Yugoslav Army shoots and kills four soldiers and wounded five others in his army barracks. According to military reports, he then committed suicide. Eight Albanian soldiers are convicted of aiding Kelmendi in the attack.
1990
Poisoning of schoolchildren in Kosovo are reported. Serbs say the Albanians either induced the poisoning in their kids or faked it to blame the Serbs. Albanians say the Serbs are trying to eliminate them using poison chemicals.
The Serbian Assembly passes a plan to promote the status of Serbs in Kosovo. "Albanian members of the Assembly of Kosovo adopt a constitutional declaration proclaiming the Kosova Republic. The Assembly of Socialist Republic of Serbia dissolves the Assembly of Kosovo, and declares the proclamation of the Kosovo Republic illegal" (p. 297, Mertus). The Assembly of Serbia revokes the autonomous status of Kosovo and Vojvodina.
By 1992
Tito is dead, the Soviet Union has collapsed. Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia have declared independence. Ibrahim Rugova is elected president of the Republic of Kosova with the Albanian votes, in a presidential election in Kosovo that is deemed illegal by Serbian authorities.
1995
Bosnia declares independence after a bloody civil war. Nato gets involved. Unrest in Kosovo continues but there is little attention there.
1998
Serbian police and military troops attack ethnic Albanian villages. The international press reports the displacing of ethnic Albanians as ethnic cleansing.
1999
NATO bombs Kosovo to force Milosovic to negotiate, while Serbs continue their raid of villages, killing any man they suspect to be working for the KLA. A peace agreement is eventually signed.
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