Mediterranean and Eastern Europe
Commentary on Balkanization
When communism fell in Europe, Yugoslavia split into separate nations. Each nation had its own ethnic identity. The transition was often violent, and an uncomfortable peace now exists among some of the Balkan states.
For this assignment, you will write a commentary about Balkanization, or the breakup of a state along ethnic lines. A commentary is an author’s brief perspective that criticizes or supports a subject based on his or her personal experiences. Authors use commentaries to share an opinion or idea. A commentary typically includes a few references as well as a table or figure.
In preparation for your commentary, decide whether you agree or disagree with the following statement:
It would have been better for Yugoslavia to remain a single nation under communist control instead of separating into multiple democratic states.
In a five-to-ten sentence paragraph, develop a commentary based on your opinion of the provided statement. Your commentary should include at least three historical facts to explain why you have this opinion. These should be facts you learned from this course and facts you learned through research. Your commentary should also include at least one idea that could help ensure peace and prosperity in the region. Additionally, you should create and reference an original table or figure to help illustrate your thoughts.
Before you begin, access the Commentary on Balkanization Checklist to be sure you include all items required for full credit. You will need to use resources outside of this course to complete this assignment. Please submit a Works Cited document. If you need assistance, visit the Student Resources section for information on citing any resources that you used.
After completing this assignment, please submit your work to the dropbox.