Claim: Bosnia and Herzegovina belonged to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia -LRB- SFR Yugoslavia or SFRY -RRB- was the Yugoslav state in southeastern Europe that existed from its foundation in the aftermath of World War II until its dissolution in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars . Covering an area of 255,804 km ² -LRB- 98,766 sq mi -RRB- , the SFRY was bordered by Italy to the west , Austria and Hungary to the north , Bulgaria and Romania to the east and Albania and Greece to the south .   It was a socialist state and a federation governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia made up of six socialist republics : Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Macedonia , Montenegro , Serbia , and Slovenia with Belgrade as its capital . In addition , it included two autonomous provinces within Serbia : Kosovo and Vojvodina .   The SFRY traces back to 26 November 1942 when the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia was formed during World War II . On 29 November 1945 , the Federal People 's Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed after the deposal of King Peter II thus ending the monarchy . The new communist government originally sided with the Eastern bloc under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito at the beginning of the Cold War , but the SFRY pursued a policy of neutrality after the Tito -- Stalin split of 1948 , and it became one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement .   Following the death of Tito on 4 May 1980 , rising ethnic nationalism in the late 1980s led to dissidence among the multiple ethnicities within the constituent republics . With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe , inter-republic talks on transformation of the federation also failed and led to recognition of their independence by some European states in 1991 . This led to the federation collapsing along federal borders , followed by the start of the Yugoslav Wars and the final downfall and breakup of the federation on 27 April 1992 . Two of its republics , Serbia and Montenegro , remained within the reconstituted Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , but the union was not recognized internationally as the official successor state to the SFRY . The term `` former Yugoslavia '' -LRB- bivša Jugoslavija or бивша Југославија -RRB- is now commonly used retrospectively .