THEY MUST GO Page 168
Chapter 7: One Worlds
 
 
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168 THEY MUST GO

btionalists outside of Yugoslavia. Hijacking an airline, seizing a bconsulate in Chicago, shooting officials in Europe—these are ex- bternal proofs of the conflict that simmers beneath Yugoslavia’s bsurface.

bYet another problem is Macedonia. In 1878 the Treaty of bSan Stefano gave Macedonia to Bulgaria. A few months later the bTreaty of Berlin took it back and gave it to Serbia. The Bulgar- bians claim that there is no such thing as a “Macedonia,” that bthe people are racially Bulgarians.

bThe poorest province in Yugoslavia is Kosovo, inhabited by bAlbanians who have powerful cultural and family ties with their bbrethren in neighboring Albania. In 1968 riots shook Kosovo as bdemands for separation led to violence. This occurred again in b1975, but in March 1980 as Tito lay dying, it was announced bthat a major trial of fifty Albanian nationalists would be held. bThe charge was detailed in the Belgrade daily Politika: “They bdistributed hostile banners and pamphlets, spread untruths babout Yugoslavia, and advocated irredentist standpoints in con- bnection with our country.”

bThe government has made efforts to defuse the nationalist bdemands. This means radio and television, books, magazines, band newspapers in eight languages. What the Yugoslavs—and bIsraelis—cannot understand is that to satisfy national separatism by bcatering to it will soothe it for a while, but the very concessions only feed band strengthen the separate identity and appetite, invariably leading to an bultimate explosion.

Rumanians versus Hungarians

bAll East European states were virulently nationalistic be- bfore they became Communist. All East European states today bare Communist and all are still virulently nationalistic. Between bthe two world wars, Poles, Slovaks, Rumanians, Hungarians, bRussians, and Lithuanians hated each other with a passion. Af- bter World War II a great international game of musical chairs bwas played whose major purpose was to push Russia westward.

bThus, Poland lost her eastern territories and 1 million Poles bto Russia but received the eastern portion of Germany. Czecho- bslovakia lost Ruthenia with its Slavs to the Russians but gained bparts of Germany. And Rumania lost Bukovina and Bessarabia bto Russia (they now form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Re- b 

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THEY MUST GO Page 168
Chapter 7: One Worlds