Serbia - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Languages

Even if the linguists use the Serbo-croatian term of to define the spoken language in Serbia, with the Montenegro, in Bosnia-Herzégovine and Croatia, officially the Serbo-croatian does not exist any more, each country naming its language " Serbe" , " Bosniaque" or " Croate". There is no Isoglosse between these languages (the speakers include themselves/understand spontaneously, without translator): their definition is thus historical and political. On the other hand there are differences partial of lexicon (certain words, certain conjugations or variations vary) and especially a difference in alphabet: it is Cyrillic and Latin in Serbia, in Montenegro and in the Serb of Bosnia, but only Latin Republic in Croatia and in the croato-Moslem woman Federation of Bosnia-Herzégovine.

Cyrillic alphabet and Latin

In Serbia, the Serbe is written with two Alphabets, the Cyrillic alphabet and the Latin alphabet. The Cyrillic one is used by the newspapers of reference like Politika (Serb Le Monde). The newspapers in Latin alphabet are newspapers plus general practitioners and less " élitistes" and more " populaires" , like Blic or then by newspapers " of oppositions" or " progressistes" like Danas. The Serb administration privileges the Cyrillic alphabet (government of Serbia), but it uses also the Latin alphabet, (see Ambassade of Serbia in France). It is thus, which it is essential to very Serb to be a perfect Bi-alphabet. At the time of the training of the writing all the children learn the two alphabets. Serb Wikipedia has, for example, two versions of all its articles, the article France exists in Cyrillic alphabet Француска and Latin alphabet Francuska. In top of each page, there exists a miter " Latinica " who means writing in Latin Serb alphabet, it allows to rock the text written in Cyrillic alphabet and conversely, one clicks on " alphabet cyrillique" to have it in the other alphabet.

History

See also: History of Serbia

Among the Slavic tribes expanding as from our era, one finds the Sorabe S which migrate initially towards the west through the Poland and the current Czech Republic. Their descendants live today in Lusace, in the east of the Germany, more exactly between the Elba and the Saale in what was formerly Large the Moravie. This area, at the time of Charlemagne, was still called the “white Serbia” (the white symbolizes the west at the Slavic ones). At the 7th century, at the time of the Byzantine Emperor Héraclius, the major part of the Sorabe S migrated in several waves between 610 - 641 and the 12th century, towards the central area of the Balkans where they assimilated the Greek, the Valaques and the local Illyriens, thus giving rise to the people Serbe.

Several Serb principalities were founded with but were dislocated at the end of. The process of christianization was engaged by the monks Cyrille and Méthode, who évangélisèrent all the Slavic people of the Grande Moravie, including Serbia, and which invented the alphabet Cyrillique starting from the Greek letters. The first Christian first names, like Stefan or Petar made their appearance then.

A Serb Empire was made up at the end of, under the dynasty of the Nemanjić. The territorial apogee of medieval Serbia was reached with, under the reign of the emperor Stefan Dušan. This empire disappeared under the blow from the Othoman invasions . In 1371, one of kings de Serbie, Vukašin Mrnjavčević, lost, against the Turks, the Bataille of Maritza, which involved the vassalisation of its grounds and the tender of his/her son Marko Mrnjavčević known as Marko Kraljević. Serbia of Lazar crumbled at the time of the Bataille of Kosovo Polje in 1389; prince Lazar lost the life there. The country was definitively annexed by the Othoman after the fall of Smederevo, in 1459.

Between 1459 and 1804, Serbia undergoes the occupation of the Ottoman Empire like three Austrian invasions intended to drive out the Turks of Serbia.

A first revolt of Serb took place between 1804 and 1813. It was directed by Georges Petrović, called Karageorges (“Georges Black”). A second revolt took place in 1815, under the control of Miloš Obrenović, and it leads to the autonomy of Serbia in 1833. In 1878, the Congrès of Berlin granted its independence to Serbia and, in 1882, the prince Milan IV Obrenović became king de Serbie under the name of Milan Ier.

In 1914, the double assassination of the archduke François-Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie Chotek, duchess of Hohenberg, with Sarajevo, the June 28th 1914 by Gabriel Princip, was the event pretexts which started the First World War. In 1915, the kingdom was invaded by the central powers at the time of the Campagne of Serbia. But the country was finally released in 1918 by the Serb army supported by the allied forces, of which the French army of the East.

Gavrilo Princip and its movement were supported by Serbia, but also by France and Great Britain which sought to limit the German influence which was exerted through Austria-Hungary. It is necessary to point out the efforts of the Germans in Africa to obtain colonies, efforts thwarted by the harmony between France and Great Britain. Germany then sought to look towards the east, and in particular south-east: it is the time of the axis Berlin-Baghdad and the construction of the railway line, the East-Express train, which will give its name to a novel of Agatha Christie. Serbia, by supporting its people in Bosnia, found itself engaged at the same time in fights of influence between the European great powers. Serbian Watch, Another Point of view on the World

Serbia belonged to the first Yugoslavia, created in 1918 under the name of Royaume of Serb, the Croats and the Sloveniens, then renamed in 1929 Royaume of Yugoslavia. It lasted 23 years, including 17 of parliamentary democracy. Initially neutral, the Royaume of Yugoslavia was invaded by the Nazi Germany. A fascistic government was set up in Croatia, while Serbia was under German military administration (with however a local marionette at its head). A double resistance movement was organized: that of the Tchetniks legitimists, faithful to the government exiled in London, directed by Serb the Draža Mihailović, and that of the in favor Communists directed by Croatian Josip Broz, said Tito. At the end of the Second world war, Yugoslavia was the only country to release without the intervention from the Red Army . The Allies, which had initially put on Draža Mihailović, gave up it after Teheran and Yalta with the profit of Tito, which seized the power in 1945.

A new Yugoslavia, Communist, was formed: Serbia constituted one of its République S federate. It lasted 46 years.

From 1918 to 1941 and 1945 to 1991, Yugoslavia had a 69 years existence, proving that in a dynamics of gathering, different but close people can easily live together in peace.

But after the death of Tito in 1980, whereas Communism was in lose speed, the Nationalisme a long time contained and channeled by the central capacity, became a practical substitute product to maintain the legitimacy of the leaders of the 6 federate republics. In " surfant" on Serb nationalism, Slobodan Milošević, then number two of the Yugoslav mode, benefitted from the rise of the tensions to the Kosovo to be made elect president of Serbia in May 1989. The Slovenia and the Croatia declared to them Indépendance the June 25th 1991, followed in 1992 by the Bosnia-Herzégovine and the Macedonia. The Serb populations of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzégovine refusing to leave Yugoslavia, then requiring their fastening of Serbia, a military conflict burst: the Wars of Yugoslavia (1992-1995). Officially, they were confrontations between Républiques, but practically, on the ground, the soldiers of each " camp" were caught with the civil populations " of it; camp of opposite " and avoided clashing between them. The Yugoslav official story is that of a series of unconstitutional séccessions, legitimately repressed by the federal army; but the Western official story is that of wars of liberation of the nouveux states against the oppressor and the Serb attacker. At all events, on the ground that resulted in hundreds of civil thousands of deaths, displacements of populations and the destruction of several cities.

In federal the Yugoslavia news of 1992, there remained only Serbia and Montenegro. But in Serbia even, the area of Métohie, more known under the name of " Kosovo - Polje" (Field of the Blackbirds), where Serbia had formerly lost its independence against the Ottoman Empire, with the wire of the centuries had become a Moslem enclave, of Albanian language, in Slavic territory; in 1999, the Serb ones were nothing any more but 10% of the population of this autonomous region, of which Albanian majority, represented by Ismaïl Kadaré, asserting in its turn independence. The mode of Slobodan Milošević (which had begun here its metamorphosis of Communism towards nationalism) intervened brutally to remove the autonomy of this area: the war burst between the Serb authorities and the U.C.K albanophone. Once again the violence and displacements of populations were followed by the intervention of NATO; it was the Guerre of Kosovo. In October 2000, Slobodan Milosevic and her mode were reversed.

The February 4th 2003, restricted Yugoslavia ceased its existence definitively: the Parliament accepted the creation of a new federation to the very loose bonds, limited to the two remaining States, under the name of Serbia-and-Montenegro. Following the independence of Montenegro, proclaimed the June 3rd 2006, the Serb Parliament adopted as of the June 5th 2006 a declaration officially making to Serb State the “successor” of the old common State of Serbia-and-Montenegro, which is equivalent de facto proclaiming the independence of Serbia and recognizing that of Montenegro. The June 15th 2006, the federal ex-minister of the Foreign affairs Vuk Drašković, become Foreign Minister of Serbia, recognizes officially the independence of the Montenegro and signs on June 22nd, with its counterpart Montenegrin, a draft-agreement for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two States.

As for Kosovo, its statute remains outstanding: occupied by the K.F.O.R. and directed de facto by the U.C.K. (except 5% of Serb territory in the north of Mitrovica, under French protection), it is already an Albanian state on the ground, but officially, it still forms part of Serbia. This one proposes a broad autonomy, the U.C.K always asserts independence and the meeting with Albania.

Geography

Policy

See also: Political of Serbia, Parliament of Serbia

The Republic of Serbia lives under a parliamentary mode with a room of 250 members.

The government of the Republic of Serbia, formed on March 3rd, 2004 is chaired by the Prime Minister, Vojislav Koštunica. The president of the Republic of Serbia east Boris Tadić.

Two Former ministers for the Community of named States of Serbia-and-Montenegro, on a purely provisional basis, Ministers for the Republic of Serbia in June 2006. It is of the Foreign Minister (Vuk Drašković) and the Minister for Defense (Zoran Stanković).

legislative elections took place on January 21st, 2007.

National festivals

Administrative subdivisions

Economy

Some data

General data

GNP: 12 Mds $ (estimate).
Per capita: 9000 $ (evaluation)
Growth rate: 5,8% (2006)
Industrial production: 4,4% (2006)
Random links: BD-FIL | Park of Donchery | Tom C. Korologos | Kim Young-Sam | Xianghua