The national question and internal administrative borders in Yugoslavia, 1918–91

The secessions from the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), first of Slovenia and Croatia in late June 1991, and later of Macedonia, in late 1991, and Bosnia-Hercegovina, in early 1992, were all successful. International recognition as independent states and membership of the United Nations were granted to all four former Yugoslav republics. In all four cases recognition of statehood was within the bounds of Yugoslavia’s internal republic borders established after World War II. Yugoslavia’s other two republics did not seek international recognition as new states. Serbia and Montenegro1 claimed to be the legal continuation of Yugoslavia after the secessions of the other four republics.2