Yugoslavian

/ˌjuːɡoʊˈslɑːviən/ adjective, noun

Definition

Relating to Yugoslavia, a former country in southeastern Europe that existed from 1918 to 1992; a person from that country; now mostly a historical term.

Etymology

From 'Yugoslavia' (from Slavic 'yugo,' south, and 'slavs,' the people). The country was created in 1918 after World War I from diverse ethnic regions, and the name disappeared from maps in 1992 after its breakup.

Kelly Says

Yugoslavia was a bold experiment in making different ethnic groups coexist as one nation—it kind of worked for 70 years, but the 1990s wars showed that shared borders and shared identity aren't the same thing. It's a tragic example of how fragile multinational states can be when nationalism rises.

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