Who can tell us the history of Kosovo?

Kosovo was originally an autonomous province in southeastern Serbia, bordering Albania and Macedonia in the south. It covers an area of 10887 square kilometers, and the population of Pristina, the capital, is about 2 million, of which Albanians, Serbs, Croats, Turks and Montenegrins account for 90% and less than 10%. Due to ethnic conflicts and other reasons, a large number of ethnic minorities (such as Serbs) left Kosovo, making the proportion of ethnic Albanians rise continuously. 1999 Since the end of the Kosovo war, Kosovo is only a part of Serbia in name, but actually it is under the jurisdiction of the United Nations. The territory is hilly and mountainous. Temperate continental climate with annual precipitation of 700 mm. Agriculture is mainly based on cereals, tobacco and grapes. Cattle and sheep are raised in mountainous areas. There are lead-zinc mines accounting for half of the country and 60% coal mines. Mining, electric power and nonferrous metal smelting are the main industries. Handicrafts and handicrafts are common in both urban and rural areas. The important cities are Pec and Prizren.

National flag, national emblem and national anthem

18 February, Kosovo's "Parliament" adopted the declaration of independence, but Kosovo's "independence" violated the UN Charter. So far, China has not recognized Kosovo, expressing serious concern.

Kosovo's "national flag" has a blue background, a golden map of Kosovo below and six white stars above, representing Kosovo's ethnic diversity and its desire for Europe and the European Union.

During the "independence" celebration in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, people waved Albanian flags. The black, red and double-headed eagle is an ancient symbol of Albanians.

The golden map under Kosovo's "national flag" expresses the hope of the Kosovo Assembly and government that Mitrovica in the north and the area north of the Serb enclave will not be divided.

The "national emblem" of Kosovo is roughly similar to the "national flag".

With regard to the "national anthem", composers are trying to come up with a new "national anthem" and legislators will begin to design a draft "constitution".

Population and economy

Kosovo has more than 2 million residents, more than 90% of whom are Albanians, and the rest are Serbs, Montenegrins and Macedonians. The birth rate in Kosovo is extremely high, so the population growth is very fast. During the period of 1988, the population growth rate of Kosovo was 2.4%, while that of Yugoslavia was only 0.62% in the same year. Its birth rate is so high that it can be called the "champion" of Yugoslavia and even Europe. 1948, there were only 733,000 people in the autonomous province of Kosovo, only 50% of Slovenia and 44% of Vojvodina. But by 1990, the population of Kosovo has far surpassed that of Slovenia and Vojvodina.

In Kosovo, ethnic Albanians, who account for the overwhelming majority of the population, believe in Islam, especially in rural areas, where there are many devout Muslims. At present, polygamy is still very common in Albanian rural areas of Kosovo. Some men can have four or five wives, and their fertility is almost out of control. Some families live under the same roof for four or five generations, which is also an important reason why Kosovo's economy is very backward. Kosovo's population accounts for 7.9% of the former Yugoslavia, but its gross social product accounts for only 2.2% of the former Yugoslavia, and its export accounts for only 1.4%, making it one of the most backward areas in the former Yugoslavia.

Originally an inland province, Kosovo is one of the poorest provinces in Yugoslavia and one of the poorest regions in Europe. Kosovo is rich in carbon, lead, zinc, chromium and silver. In the war, most of the infrastructure was destroyed, and only agriculture is expected to benefit.

history

Kosovo has a long history. According to the research of Croatian historian Aleksandr Sti Pacevic, more than 40 militant nomadic tribes, the ancestors of Albanians, first lived in Kosovo. From the end of the 6th century to the beginning of the 7th century, a large number of Slavic immigrants crossed the Danube and settled in the Balkans. They built castles and churches, reclaimed wasteland, and drove Ili people who were engaged in grazing to hilly areas. In the 9th century, the Serbs among the Yugoslavs established their own country. By the14th century, under the rule of Archduke Etienne Duchamp, the Kingdom of Serbia entered its heyday, and its sphere of influence once expanded to Macedonia and Greece, with Kosovo as its center. At that time, geopolitics believed that ruling Kosovo was ruling the Balkans, which showed the importance of Kosovo's geographical location. 1389 On June 28th, Turkish Sultanmurat led the Ottoman army to a decisive battle with the Christian Union army led by Serbian Prince Lassa in the Mele Plain of Kosovo. As a result, Miao La and Lhasa were killed in battle, Kosovo was occupied by Turks, and the whole Balkan region was gradually Ottoman. 1453, Constantinople fell to the Ottoman army, 1456, Athens fell, 1459, Belgrade fell to Turkey, and the kingdom of Serbia officially perished.

Turkey's occupation caused the Balkan region to split in two, with Serbs, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Albanians and some Bosnians under the Ottoman Empire in the south and Slovenians, Croats, Slavonians and Vojvodinas under the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the north. At that time, Vienna, Austria was the center of European culture, while Asian absolutism in Turkey was synonymous with ignorance, corruption, chaos and violence. Many Serbs could not bear the slavery of the Ottoman Empire and fled to the north and west, especially Croatia and Vojvodina, while Albanians who believed in Islam moved to Kosovo to fill the vacancy left by Serbs. In Kosovo, the Ottoman rulers of Turkey implemented a policy of changing the religious beliefs of local residents in order to safeguard the interests of the rulers. Prior to this, the local Serbs believed in the Orthodox Church, while Albanians believed in Catholicism. Although the Ottoman Empire did not take coercive measures to change the beliefs of local residents, these believers did not stipulate that they must believe in Islam, and they allowed the existence of Orthodox Church and Catholicism. However, believers must pay the poll tax to the local government, which is quite high, almost beyond the affordability of ordinary Orthodox Christians and Catholics. If anyone converts to Islam and becomes a Muslim, they can be exempted from paying this tax. So many Albanians have accepted Islam. In this case, many Serbs moved to areas dominated by Christianity, and this long journey reached its climax in the17th century. According to historical records, from the middle of17th century to the beginning of18th century, about 30,000 to 40,000 Serbs moved to Hungary of Habsburg Empire or Croatia of Adriatic Sea. Turkish rulers distributed the land and houses left by exiles to Albanians who changed their religious beliefs, and moved Albanians living in neighboring areas into Kosovo. By the18th century, Kosovo had become a region with a majority of Albanians. According to Turkey 19 10 census, Albanians in Kosovo province accounted for more than 60% of the local population at that time, and the rest were Serbs, Turks and Bulgarians.

/kloc-since the end of 0/8, the independence movement of all ethnic groups in Yugoslavia has been surging.

After two uprisings, Serbia established the principality in 18 15 and Montenegro established the principality in 1852. 1876 ~ 1878 after the war against turkey, the albanian national rejuvenation movement has been on the rise. The declining Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire began to support Albanians for fear of Serbia's strength. During the period of 1880 ~ 1889, 60,000 Kosovo Serbs moved to the north. 19 12, Balkan countries declared war on Turkey and overthrew its rule. Kosovo, which was enslaved by the Ottoman Empire for five centuries, was reintegrated into Serbia, and its residents were mostly Albanians. In order to restore the multi-ethnic balance, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, established in 19 18, confiscated the manor of the Turkish landowner and gave priority to Serbian soldiers who had made meritorious deeds. A large number of Albanians working in the manor moved to Turkey with the Turks, which drastically reduced the number of Albanians who settled here. By 1929, there will be about 500,000 Albanians in Kosovo, accounting for about 39% of the total entrance to Kosovo.

194 1 year, Yugoslavia was divided by the Axis Powers, Kosovo was annexed by Mussolini's "Greater Albania", and nearly 654.38+million Serbs were forced to flee their homes. Due to the deep-rooted ethnic contradiction between Albanians and Serbs, the occupiers were not ruled by Albany during the fascist invasion of Kosovo.

The resistance of Asians, on the contrary, local residents are particularly excited about joining a unified Greater Albania.

At that time, the guerrillas led by the Yugoslav and Albanian production parties who fought side by side against fascism held different views on the ownership of Kosovo. 1943 At the end of 0944, at the meeting of the Kosovo People's Liberation Committee held in Albania, it was decided to merge Kosovo into Albania, but the decision was immediately opposed by the Yugoslav Central Committee. 1944 l 65438+ 10, the South People's Liberation Army liberated Kosovo. 1945 In February, when the Second World War was coming to an end, Albanian rebels established a military government in Kosovo. 16 In March, the military government issued a decree prohibiting Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo from returning to Kosovo, saying that they were supporters of the autocratic regime of Greater Serbia. 40,000 Yugoslav soldiers fought fiercely with 6,543,800 Albanian soldiers. As a result, Serbia regained control of Kosovo and thousands of Albanian Muslims were exiled to Turkey.

1945 In July, the People's Assembly of Kosovo decided to merge Kosovo into Serbia. In this way, after the war, Kosovo returned to the Yugoslav territory led by Tito. However, although Albanians are the fifth largest ethnic group in Yugoslavia, Kosovo, where Albanians live in concentrated communities, has not obtained the status of an autonomous republic like Serbia and Montenegro. According to Yugoslav Constitution 1946, Kosovo is an autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija and belongs to the Republic of Serbia. The Serbs purged the pro-fascists among Albanians, but this aroused the resistance of Albanians and further intensified ethnic contradictions.

It is precisely because of the above-mentioned long-term and complicated historical changes that both Serbs and Albanians consider themselves the masters of Kosovo and failed to become the seventh autonomous republic of Yugoslavia. What's more, the Albanians in Kosovo thought that they had been treated unfairly in Yugoslavia, and held many demonstrations to demand independence.

After the founding of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, it emphasized "the independence, equality and self-determination of the people of all ethnic groups in Yugoslavia" and established an autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija in Serbia and China. In the1960s, about 700,000 to 300,000 Albanians fled to Kosovo. With the recovery and development of economy, the tendency of nationalism in various countries is gradually rising. Developed regions demand the abolition of state control, while Serbia insists on centralization and federal control of investment funds. Due to historical reasons, Kosovo is the poorest region in Yugoslavia. 1953, the per capita GNP of Kosovo is 53% of the average level of South Africa, and illiteracy accounts for 40.4% of the total population, while the illiteracy rate in developed areas under the former Habsburg dynasty is only 19.438+0%. Albanians, who account for the majority of Kosovo's population, lag far behind the Serbs in living standards and educational level, but the birth rate is far higher than that of the Serbs. Overpopulation in turn aggravates poverty. By 1957, the per capita GNP of Kosovo had dropped to 42% of the national average. From 65438 to 0966, the population growth rate of Kosovo was 3.79%, and that of Albanians increased to 1 10,000, while that of Yugoslavia was only 1%. 1968, Kosovo students held a large-scale demonstration, demanding autonomy for the first time and shouting for the establishment of the Republic of Kosovo. Yugoslav President Tito agreed to give Kosovo a certain degree of autonomy. By 197 1, the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo account for 73.7% of the total population, and their demands for national self-determination are increasingly strong. 1974 The new Yugoslav Constitution gives Kosovo extensive autonomy and enjoys rights similar to those of other Yugoslav republics. Albanians have schools that teach in their mother tongue, which has trained a large number of Albanian intellectuals. Due to the backward economy and culture in Kosovo, many Serbs left Kosovo to find a good way out in other areas, while the Albanian intellectuals who stayed in Kosovo were dissatisfied because they could not find satisfactory jobs, which became the core of the movement for national independence.

1980 In May, Tito died, Yugoslavia lost its leader with personal authority, and the tendency of separation among countries was constantly strengthened. 1981From March to April, Albanian university students trained by Albanian exchange students held demonstrations in Pristina University, demanding the establishment of an independent Republic of Kosovo. Demonstrators first clashed with the police, many students were arrested, and Serbian authorities sent troops to temporarily impose military control on Kosovo. As a result, the contradiction between Kosovo Serbs and Albanians has become increasingly acute, often brewing into bloody conflicts. Serbs believe that Kosovo is the holy land of Serbia and the cradle of Serbian civilization. For historical reasons and national feelings, Serbia cannot give up Kosovo. From an ethnic point of view, Kosovo is becoming more and more Albanian. By 199 1, Serbs in Kosovo only accounted for 1 1% of the total population, while in 196 1, Serbs still accounted for 27.4%. During 1987' s visit to Kosovo, Milosevic appealed to local Serb residents not to leave this land because of difficulties.

As a national minority, Serbs feel more and more isolated and excluded, while Albanians are striving for political advantages and ethnic conflicts are intensifying.

1988, more than 6,000 Serbs and Montenegrins living in Kosovo accused Albanians of harassing them and held large-scale protests, demanding the abolition of the Constitution and the abolition of Kosovo's autonomous status. In the late 1980s, Yugoslavia was torn apart by ethnic conflicts and economic crisis. Milosevic, leader of Serbian Production Party, used nationalism complex to win over the masses and improve his prestige. Serbia is unable to prevent Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from leaving Yugoslavia, but it is determined not to prevent Kosovo from becoming independent at all costs. The reason for this is that, from the national sentiment, "Kosovo is the birthplace of the first Serbian kingdom in history, and whoever gives it up will become a sinner in the eyes of Serbs." Milosevic used this national feeling of Serbs to support the Serbs in Kosovo and put forward the slogan of "Greater Serbia". 1On February 27th, 989, Milosevic declared a state of emergency, sent troops to suppress the strike of Albanian miners and student demonstrations, revised the Constitution of 1974, abolished the status of Kosovo as an autonomous province, cancelled Albanian schools and banned Albanian organizations, including news organizations. There were violent clashes and gun battles between ethnic Albanians and police. More than 20 people were killed and many people were arrested. 1990 65438+ 10, Serbian police used tear gas, batons and water taps to suppress Albanian demonstrators. In the face of the "Great Serbian Doctrine" of Serbs, Albanians' hopes of establishing a Republic of Kosovo within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have been dashed, and the confrontation between Serbs and Albanians has become increasingly fierce and the riots have become more and more serious. Yugoslavia sent troops, police, tanks and planes to Kosovo and imposed a curfew in Kosovo. However, this move did not eliminate Albanian nationalism, and the conflict between Serbia and Albania escalated and the contradiction worsened.

This shows that the Kosovo issue is a difficult problem formed by history. It has experienced many years of tortuous evolution and has been deliberately manipulated by big countries. So far, many disputes are still difficult to distinguish right from wrong. Regarding the ownership of Kosovo, Serbs and Albanians have their own views. Serbia regards Kosovo as the birthplace and cultural cradle of the Serbian nation, because Serbia established the most powerful country here in the12nd century, and Albanians moved in in large numbers only after the Ottoman Empire invaded and Serbian troops retreated northward. Albanians, on the other hand, insist that Illyrians, the primitive tribe living in Kosovo in the 4th-5th century BC, are the ancestors of Albanians, so Kosovo has been the territory of Albanians since ancient times. In this way, Albanians in Kosovo demand real autonomy and independence, and Serbs will not give up their cherished "homeland" easily. Kosovo, a "time bomb" in the Balkans, is always in danger of exploding!

Kosovo crisis

199810 June 13, the Kosovo crisis broke out.

Kosovo was originally a province of Yugoslavia and Serbia, with a population of 2 million, 90% of which were Albanians. The Albanians unilaterally established the "Republic of Kosovo" in 199 1 and the "Kosovo Liberation Army" in recent two years, trying to become independent by violent means, which of course will not be accepted by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 1On February 28th, 998, Albanian militants clashed with Serbian police. Since then, the conflict between the two ethnic groups has escalated and armed conflicts have continued.

The United States and other western countries are also very anxious. They believe that if the situation in Kosovo gets out of control, it will trigger a more terrible war in the Balkans than the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even threaten the security of Europe as a whole. Therefore, western countries intervened in the Kosovo crisis. On July 5th, US Special Envoy Holbrooke held talks with Kosovo Albanian political leader Rugova, which showed that the US government insisted on Kosovo's self-government without independence. However, in the face of NATO's military threat, Yugoslavia did not stop, but intensified its armed attacks and encirclement and suppression.

Where there is war, there are refugees. By August, the number of refugees in Kosovo has reached more than 200,000, and western countries are worried that it will trigger a refugee tide. The Security Council once again demanded an immediate ceasefire between the two sides of the Kosovo conflict, and NATO even threatened to use force against Yugoslavia. 65438+1October 1 1 Under the military pressure of NATO, Yugoslav President Milosevic announced that he would fully implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and that Yugoslavia would withdraw its troops from Kosovo under the supervision of the international community and start autonomy negotiations with Kosovo Albanians as soon as possible. 101On October 27th, NATO announced that it would suspend its air strikes against Yugoslavia.

Kosovo war

When the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) established in 1996 attacked Serbian officials and Albanians, the conflict began to heat up. 1In March, 1998, the Serbian police began to raid KLA in Drenyi, and the conflict became more intense. The Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Yugoslavia, including Kosovo, but the situation got worse and worse until the war broke out.

1in March, 1999, "NATO" carried out air strikes against Yugoslavia while warning Yugoslavia and cracking down on Kosovo Serbs. The Secretary-General said that this was a tragedy caused by diplomatic failure. Although sometimes "the use of force for peaceful purposes is legitimate", the Security Council must be involved in any such situation.

Yugoslavia launched a large-scale attack on the Kosovo Liberation Army and began to expel a large number of Albanians from Kosovo. The number of refugees reached an unprecedented 850,000. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other humanitarian agencies have provided all kinds of assistance to refugees in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

United Nations peacekeeping

In June, Yugoslavia accepted the peace plan put forward by the Group of Eight (the Group of Eight includes seven western industrialized countries and Russia). The Security Council supported this plan and authorized Yugoslav member States to establish a security presence to stop hostilities, disarm the Kosovo Liberation Army and promote the return of refugees. The plan also requires the Secretary-General to establish a temporary international civil administration so that people can enjoy a high degree of autonomy and have an autonomous government. After the Yugoslav army withdrew from Kosovo province, NATO suspended its bombing operation, and 500,000 international security forces stationed in Kosovo entered the province to ensure safety.

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo immediately established a security presence in Kosovo province. The complexity and scope of this task are unprecedented. The Security Council granted UNMIK privileges in the province of Kosovo, including all legislative and executive powers, as well as judicial administration. This task has four main aspects: civil affairs directly managed by the United Nations, humanitarian assistance under the responsibility of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, democratization and institution-building guided by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and economic reconstruction managed by the European Union. In the name of the United Nations, this is a unique teamwork, which also brings four international organizations together.

Of the 850,000 refugees who fled during the war, at least 846,5438+0,000 returned home. The first problem is to help them through the severe winter. After completing this task, UNMIK has made important progress in rebuilding normal life and ensuring long-term economic reconstruction. The Mission issued a series of decrees, covering the appointment and removal of judges, banking, licensing, the establishment of financial power centers and Kosovo budget centers. At the same time, the Mission also established dialogue with leaders of ethnic communities, rebuilt public facilities and opened schools.

A joint interim administrative structure was established, including representatives of various ethnic groups. Throughout the region, more than 3,000 UNMIK police officers have been deployed and the Kosovo Police Service has been established, including representatives of all Kosovo ethnic minorities. 1In September 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army was completely dissolved and its personnel were integrated into civil society. In the months after the ceasefire, about 265,438+0,000 non-Albanian Kosovars left Kosovo for Serbia and Montenegro (now two independent countries, Serbia and Montenegro), and a joint commission ensured their safe return.