Serbian Programs for the Expulsion of Albanian Kosovars from Kosovo Between Two World Wars

Abstract

The purpose of the research paper is treat of the forced displacement of Albanians from Kosovo to Albania in the years 1918-1941 by the Serbian government through various programs. Serbian programs for the expulsion of Albanians, initiated since the ‘Načertanije’ (‘Draft Plan’) of 1844, did not cease throughout the entire 20th century. Between the two World Wars, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes – Yugoslavia drew up a large number of programs against the Albanians, where the key point was the displacement of Albanians from their lands and the reversal of the demographic structure to the detriment of the Albanians people, applying various methods and measures of violence. The scientific novelty. Until the 1930s, Serbian circles assessed that these measures had not yielded the desired effects, thus it was necessary to continue with several programs and strategies that would lead to a large-scale ethnic cleansing of Albanians by expelling them from their lands or assimilating them. This paper deals with all the Serbian programs and plans which were applied by means of three main actions such as forced displacement, colonization and agrarian reform. Conclusions. Based on what we have discussed, there is no doubt that the policy of Serbian government’s violence against Albanians materialized through these infamous programs. The Serbian authorities had primary intentions of ethnic cleansing and changing the ethnic structure in the regions where Albanians predominated. The expulsion of Albanians occurred according to these programs, as the Serbian government had institutionalized and utilized these various programs to achieve its goals. During this period, Albanians faced all the measures of violence from the state apparatus in Belgrade, their lives deteriorated day by day in all spheres of life, and as a result, an extremely large number of them were forced to be displaced and leave their homelands. The policy of Greater Serbia ideology did not cease, not only in this period but throughout the entire 20th century.

Keywords

• expulsion, serbian programs, elaborations, colonization of kosovo