Authoritarian leaders such as Enver Hoxha, Todor Zhivkov, Tito and Slobodan Milosevic are part of a time-honoured tradition of Balkan dictatorship that saw the domination of some of the most colourful but also brutal leaders of twentieth century, among them the wartime Croatian fascist Ante Pavlevic and Nicolae Ceausescu.
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About the Author
Bernd J. Fischer is Professor of Balkan History and chair of the Department of History at Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, and author of Albania at War, 1939-1945 (1999).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A. J. Barber
Format:Paperback
A simple but clever idea knits together the 13 character studies in this book: that, whatever their distinctive national, ideological and personal qualities, all the leaders share something in common because of their late 19th and 20th century Balkan backgrounds. All struggled against adverse geopolitical and economic conditions that threatened to overwhelm their countries, and few had any but the barest notion of democracy and civil rights. Some were dictators (Pavelic, Hoxha, Ceausescu), some were authoritarian rulers (Zog, Carol II, Ataturk), and one or two were a degree or two lower down the scale (Metaxas, Tito). The studies of King Zog, Ante Pavelic and Enver Hoxha are first-class. The worst is that of Tito: Communist Yugoslavia is presented as a resounding success compared to what came after it, and the essay is less a considered analysis than a polemic.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed and Uneven
2 Feb 2010
By Alexius
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
It is difficult to understand the structure of this deeply flawed and uneven collection of essays. Why include Milosevic, but not Tudjman? Why Carol II, but not Antonescu (the "Third Man of the Axis")? No explanation is provided.
The essays themselves are very uneven. Take, for instance, Maria Bucur's chapter on Carol II. At the time, Romania was one of the world's major oil producers. This had not just economic implications (unlike its Balkan neighbours, due to oil Romania had a large wad of cash to spend on re-armament), but also political and military consequences (acquiring control of Romanian oil was a major German objective). Yet this is not even mentioned, let alone discussed. Romania's armed forces were Carol's "special project". Hence, their performance in the summer of 1940 and, starting less than a year after his fall, in the Russian campaign, should be considered in an assessment of his rule; yet, the issue is ignored.
Such shortcomings aside, what is most striking (and most disappointing) about these essays is the naked political advocacy of their authors. The lowest depths are plumbed by the chapter on Tito, by John Fine, a scholar of otherwise great stature and reputation. It would be incorrect to describe it as a scholarly essay; it is rather an exercise in hagiography and a paean of praise for the "Once and Future Yugoslavia" (p. 291). Fine justifies the murders of well in excess of 15,000 people because they made Tito's task "easier" (p. 283); he justifies ethnic cleansing (as long as the cleansed were German, p. 281); he compares the infamous UDBA with the FBI (p. 292); he believes criticisms by humanitarian NGOs were "unfair" (p. 315); and so on. Felicitous phrases such as "gullible workers" and "chauvinist poison" (p. 302) are merely the glazing on this thoroughly over-egged pudding.
The essays themselves are very uneven. Take, for instance, Maria Bucur's chapter on Carol II. At the time, Romania was one of the world's major oil producers. This had not just economic implications (unlike its Balkan neighbours, due to oil Romania had a large wad of cash to spend on re-armament), but also political and military consequences (acquiring control of Romanian oil was a major German objective). Yet this is not even mentioned, let alone discussed. Romania's armed forces were Carol's "special project". Hence, their performance in the summer of 1940 and, starting less than a year after his fall, in the Russian campaign, should be considered in an assessment of his rule; yet, the issue is ignored.
Such shortcomings aside, what is most striking (and most disappointing) about these essays is the naked political advocacy of their authors. The lowest depths are plumbed by the chapter on Tito, by John Fine, a scholar of otherwise great stature and reputation. It would be incorrect to describe it as a scholarly essay; it is rather an exercise in hagiography and a paean of praise for the "Once and Future Yugoslavia" (p. 291). Fine justifies the murders of well in excess of 15,000 people because they made Tito's task "easier" (p. 283); he justifies ethnic cleansing (as long as the cleansed were German, p. 281); he compares the infamous UDBA with the FBI (p. 292); he believes criticisms by humanitarian NGOs were "unfair" (p. 315); and so on. Felicitous phrases such as "gullible workers" and "chauvinist poison" (p. 302) are merely the glazing on this thoroughly over-egged pudding.
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