Kosovo before it gained independence - Essay Example

Kosovo Before it Gained Independence Pre independent Kosovo was ravine with ethnic in-fighting between the majorityAlbanians, and the minority Serbians. Montenegro and Serbia took over Kosovo by means of the army in 1912, in what was known as the Ottoman Empire. At the time, the population of Albanians in Kosovo dominated over the rest. Even so, in spite of the introduction of Serb settlers in Kosovo, with a view to increasing the overall Serb population; the large population of Albanians continued to rise towards the twentieth century.

In 1974, Yugoslavia showed its liberal tendencies by granting Kosovo a constitution, which in turn gave Kosovo power and the rank of federal state, although still within the Serbian republic. Through the 1980s, pressure on economic downturn formed a fertile ground for riots among Albanian students. The students showed their unanimous support by uniting towards a common goal. Yugoslav security personnel applied force, and thousands of Yugoslavs were imprisoned. Anti-Semitic slogans against Albanians managed to put Milosevic into power.

In 1999 NATO began shelling Yugoslav with bombs. At least 800,000 Albanian were forced out of Serbia; their properties were destroyed. Murder, raping amid other crimes continued. In 2001, a new constitution was promulgated which allowed parliamentary elections. In 2004, there were massive mob-attacks on Serbs in Kosovo; nothing was done about it. After four years later, Kosovo was declared independent. In Serbia, independence was hallmarked with violence and political instability. Even after independence, citizens of Kosovo still held high hopes for the new elected government.

The optimism and high hopes people had about the new born Kosovo was unseemly dashed by the government’s unwillingness. Economics issues cutting across all ethnic groups is a massive challenge facing Kosovo. High levels of unemployment still haunt the country. Ideally, the post-independent Kosovo has made their hopes ebb. In sum, post independent Kosovo has not yet matured democratically. For instance, the decision to elect Behgjet Pacolli on 22 February was met by fierce criticism from the opposition.

Ideally, the election of Pacolli, which was purely unconstitutional, was hallmarked with heavy irregularities. Work Cited Judah, Tim. Kosovo: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Basic Books, 2009. Print.