Bratstvo i Jedinstv (Brotherhood and Unity)

                In 1980, Josip Tito died. Without his strongman leadership, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia begins to fall apart, as repressed ethnic tensions, combined with a broken economy, overwhelm the weak federation he leaves behind. In 1987, Slobodan Milošević, a hard-line communist official, is assigned to bring calm to the Kosovo region, where tensions had flared between Albanians and Serbs. At the last minute, another official is assigned to take his place. While this official is not particular successful, the flames of division are not fanned as much as they would have been.

                The countries problems lead to the decision, in January of 1990, at extraordinary 14th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, to right a new constitution, and reorganize the federation. The reorganization leads to not only the creation of a multiparty system, but the ascension of Vojvodina and Kosovo to the status of Republics, much to the anger of Serbia. Nevertheless, there is no leader to direct Serbian anger to overthrow the system.

                The story of Yugoslavia then proceeds down the road of other Eastern European Nations at this time; shock therapy, then stability. Today the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is united with a recovering economy. However, tensions between the richer northern republics and poorer southern ones, as well as Serbian resentment of its “partitioning,” continue to threaten the stability, even the integrity of the state.

                The flag itself is just a redesign of the old Yugoslav flag. The colors are the traditional pan-Slav colors, though the single red star is replaced with 8 little red stars arranged in a circle, representing the constituent republics, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vojvodina, and Kosovo. Feel free to leave a comment!

UPDATE: Changed the color pattern to Blue-White-Red when bubrezi pointed out to me that Red-White-Blue is a Croatian combination and probably wouldn't fly with the rest of the federation.