Which best explains why the Bosnian-Serb genocide occurred in Yugoslavia after the end of the Cold War?
A. Communism had provided a means of social control, but capitalism brought the availability of weapons and improved communication.
B. Despot Marshal Tito’s death and the USSR’s fall ended the enforced Yugoslav promotion of unity and suppression of ethnic hatreds.
C. Even though the Soviets still held control, there were so many ethnic groups crowded into the small region that friction was an inevitable result.
D. After Yugoslavia broke up, the new Serbian and Russian presidents signed an agreement to prohibit any state intervening in the Balkans.
is the answer D?
Yes, B.
Is it B?
The correct answer is B. Despot Marshal Tito’s death and the USSR’s fall ended the enforced Yugoslav promotion of unity and suppression of ethnic hatreds.
To arrive at this answer, we need to consider the events leading up to the Bosnian-Serb genocide after the end of the Cold War. The breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s resulted in a series of ethnic conflicts and genocides, with one of the most notable being the Bosnian-Serb genocide.
Option A suggests that the availability of weapons and improved communication due to capitalism played a role in the genocide. While weapons and communication certainly played a part in the conflict, the main cause was not the transition from communism to capitalism.
Option C states that the presence of multiple ethnic groups in the region inevitably led to friction. While ethnic tensions and diversity did contribute to the conflict, it does not explain why the violence escalated into genocide.
Option D suggests that an agreement between the new Serbian and Russian presidents prohibited any state intervention in the Balkans. However, this option is incorrect because it presents a post-genocide agreement, rather than providing an explanation for the cause of the genocide itself.
Option B, which states that the death of Marshal Tito and the fall of the USSR ended the enforced Yugoslav promotion of unity and suppression of ethnic hatreds, is the most accurate explanation. Under Tito's rule, Yugoslavia was able to maintain unity by suppressing ethnic tensions. However, after his death and the subsequent collapse of the USSR, the enforced unity disintegrated, allowing longstanding ethnic tensions to resurface and culminate in acts of genocide.
Therefore, the correct answer is B.