Elusive Compromise:A History of Interwar Yugoslavia

Based on Dejan Djokic's original research in Croatian, Serbian, British, and American archives, "Elusive Compromise" is a unique history of the original, interwar Yugoslavia of 1918-1941. Unlike other scholars, Djokic argues that this period can be best understood by analyzing political attempts to reach a Serb-Croat compromise. Historians have long recognized the Croats' rejection of state centralism, but Djokic shows that, by the mid-1930s, many Serbs had accepted federalism as well. During this period, it is commonly believed that Serbs and non-Serbs were engaged in constant conflict; however, Djokic argues that the radicalization leading to the war years of 1941-45 and the subsequent communist takeover was instead a response to the political mismanagement of the country. "Elusive Compromise" places Yugoslavia in the context of a Europe-wide struggle between democracy and dictatorship and provides a thorough understanding of the dissolution of Yugoslavia and other multinational states.