Evening star., 1941-03-30
YuqosIovia's Inner Danger

YugosIuvio's Inner Danger
Yugoslavia's defiance of Germany,
the virtual nullification of the axis
pact and the reported closing of the
Danube to German oil barges have
dealt the Reich a body blow stra-
logically, economically, and above all
in prestige. Yet Germany moves
cautiously. 1t utters no diplomatic
ultimatum and its great war machine
is held in leash.
Why this surprising restraint? In
part, it is doubtless due to military
necessities. Germany's Balkan armies
will have to be reinforced before
starting what would certainly be
a major war. Yet each passing day
so damages the Reich's moral posi-
ton throughout Europe and toward
Japan that large military risks would
be justified German hesitancy pre-
sumably is due in large part to the
hope that the disaster may be recti-
fed by "softening" Yugoslavia from
within.
Despite it's heroic stand, Yugo-
slavia has internal weaknesses. The
YugoSlavs, though basically one in
blood, were politically united only
generation ago, at the close of the
Great War. The hard core Of the
nation are the Serbs, a primitive
peasant folk, fanatically devoted to
their independence, won century
ago after many generations of strug-
gle against their former Turkish
masters. Their intense nationalism
has a religious tinge from their
devotion to their Orthodox Church,
which is the symbol Of their national
identity. The Serbs compose about
two-flfths of the population, which
totals some 100000. The Serbs
initiated the recent revolution and
they stand ready to fight to the death
against any axis assault.
Very different in history and tenn
permanent are the Croats and Slovenes
of the northern provinces. These
folk were civilized and Christianized
from the West They are therefore
Roman Catholics, use the Latin
alphabet and look westward for
their culture and attitude toward
life. Never under Turkish rule, they
formed part of the Hapsburg Empire
until it vanished during the Great
War.
When the South Slavs were united
by the peace settlement two decades
ago, the original idea was that of
federal union, indicated by its title:
Kingdom Of the Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes. But the Serbs, who had
done the fighting and made the sac
riflceS, felt the new country must be
strong in order to endure; so they
continued to rule and refused to give
Croats and Slovenes an equal share
in running things. Furthermore,
there was the large Mohammedan
element in Bosnia, Yugoslav in blood
yet alien to both Serbs and Croats
in culture and outlook. Those Mos
lens also wanted special rights. They
played politics with the Croats. In
deed, there were other dissatisfied
inorities-pro-Bulga Slavs in
Macedonia, and Magyar or German
blocs north of the Danube, who were
quite unreconciled to inclusion with
in the new boundaries.
Political discords grew so serious
that normal parliamentary life broke
down, and the Serbs, patriotic but
rough-handed, frightened their grip
even more King Alexander, father
of the present boy monarch, Peter
II, established virtual dictatorship,
run by the Serbs he could trust. This
infuriated the Croats, many of whom
plotted secession and the breakup
of a state which had abandoned its
original federal title and now called
itself frankly "Yugoslavia," the Land
of the South Slavs.
When the great crisis of August,
1889, heralded new European war,
Prince Paul, the Regent, attempted
to soften the bitter feud between
Serbs and C-oat-Slovenes by giving
those provinces local self-govern-
ment and taking their leaders into
his cabinet. Now the Serbs are in
the saddle once more, and the Croat-
Slovenes are uneasy at the prospect.
That gives German propaganda its
opportunity, which will doubtless be
used as partial substitute for naked
| force.
With all the Fort Meade malicious
| damage reported, the draftees are