History of the Balkans: Volume 1

Jelavich clearly knows her stuff, and this (and its successor volume) serve as an excellent general study. However, the writing style is very dry and can be difficult and a little boring to read. Further, the work is a bit dated, neglecting all of the extraordinary events after the mid-80s. The bibliography is very good, though keep in mind obviously no recent works are there. Citations are a bit sparse, making it difficult to pursue a line of thought further.This is overall a good book, but readers interested in first learning this subject absolutely should start with Stavrianos' "The Balkans since 1453." It's even more dated, but is unbeatable as a general study on the region up to about 1950.

Although published in the late 1980s with no updated editions in later years, Jelavich's masterful "History of the Balkans" is still by far the best introduction to contemporary Balkan history. This first volume traces the developments among the various Balkan peoples as they moved into modernity and formed independent nation states. Jelavich begins with a short and very informative introduction to Balkan history up to the end of the 17th century, i.e. the time when Ottoman power in the region seriously began to wane and the role of the Habsburg Monarchy and Russia (and later all of the major European powers) in the region became crucial. The author focuses mostly on the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan nationalities under Ottoman rule, the Bulgarians, Greeks, Romanians and Serbs, and the Albanians to a lesser extent, as it was among these people that the first revolts occurred and the first nation states were formed in the Balkans. Even so, Jelavich provides excellent analysis of the main currents in the Habsburg Monarchy's Balkan possessions, mainly the Croatian lands but also Vojvodina and Transylvania with their large Serbian and Romanian populations. Perhaps the main thing that comes out of this volume is that Ottoman rule in the Balkans was not as oppressive as it was often later portrayed (i.e. the notorious "Turkish yoke" of national(ist) historiography in the Balkans). It was in fact this empire's decentralized governing institutions, tolerance of non-Islamic religious communities, and general inefficiency that made possible a great deal of local autonomy among the Balkan peoples and proved conducive to the nationalist uprisings of the 19th century. Also important is Jelavich's repeated emphasis on the region's general poverty. Throughout the period this book covers, the vast majority of the Balkan people were peasants who often lived at subsistence levels. This factor was crucial in shaping the region's history. This book contains both detailed accounts of the major events in Balkan history during the period it covers as well as strong analysis of the underlying social and political processes. It therefore provides a strong basis for understanding Balkan history, and greatly helps in comprehending current events in the region.