The Civil War in Bosnia Quiz | European

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which year was The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes formally renamed Yugoslavia?

Answer: 1929

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was created out of the peace process that ended the First World War. With a vast variety of ethnic, linguistic and religious groups, tensions were evident from the very beginning and it wasn't until the late 1920s that a royal dictatorship under King Alexander asserted some degree of stability.

2. Yugoslavia was first broken up during the German and Italian occupation between 1941-45. Which pro-Axis fascist state was formed and fought alongside its new allies throughout most of this period?

Answer: Croatia

600,000 Yugoslavs died during the occupation by German and Italian troops. It was practically a civil war between the various ethnic groups and political interests, with the occupation army barely in control.

3. Between 1945 and 1980 Josip Broz ('Tito') governed a federal Yugoslavia within which political system?

Answer: Communist republic

Josip Broz (aka 'Tito') was of Croat-Slovenian parentage. He adopted the name 'Tito' as a codename when he lived in exile in Vienna during the mid-1930s. As leader of the Communist partisans in Yugoslavia during WWII, he asserted control over the newly liberated country with the deportation of certain ethnic minorities, the suppression of anti-Communist influences, and the establishment of a secret police force (UBDA).

He won the elections of November 1945, stood up to Stalin and successfully resisted the absorption of Yugoslavia into the Eastern Bloc and was President of Yugoslavia until his death in 1980.

He maintained stability through a relatively centralised form of political control.

4. Which two states were the first to unilaterally declare their independence from the federal Yugoslavia in June 1991?

Answer: Croatia and Slovenia

The status of Croatia and Slovenia as independent nations was quickly consolidated by being recognized by the newly unified Germany in late 1991. The rest of the European Union followed suit on 15 January, 1992. The USA also recognized the independence of these two states in April 1992.

5. In terms of ethnicity and religion, the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina were perhaps the most diverse in all Yugoslavia. Which of the following groups were largest in number?

Answer: Bosnian Muslims

Generally, the Bosnian Muslims and Croatian populations backed secession from Yugoslavia, while the Bosnian Serbs (the second largest ethnic group) wanted to stay part of the Serbian-dominated Yugoslav Federation.

6. In October 1991, the Bosnian parliament declared its sovereignty and stated its intention to hold a referendum on secession from Yugoslavia. What was the result of this referendum in February 1992?

Answer: To secede from Yugoslavia

63% of Bosnians, mainly Muslims and Croats, voted in favour of secession. It was this that finally triggered the conflict. The Bosnian Serbs, in the form of local troops and militias supported in part by the Yugoslav army, reacted violently and besieged several Bosnian cities while 'ethnically cleansing' 70% of Bosnian territory.

7. Who was the President of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1990-1996?

Answer: Alija Izetbegovic

Alija Izetbegovic was born in Basanki Samac in northern Bosnia in 1925. A graduate of Sarajevo University, he had been gaoled for three years in the late 1940s for being a member of the Young Muslims, a dissident nationalist group. He was president of Bosnia-Herzegovina until his retirement in 2000 and died in 2003. Milosevic was the president of Yugoslavia who gave material and moral support to the Bosnian Serbs led by Mladic and Karadzic.

As a result, Yugoslavia had economic sanctions placed upon it from 1992, monitored by NATO-led forces stationed in Bosnia.

8. In 1995, the Bosnian Serbs launched attacks on several 'safe havens' which led to NATO deploying airpower in retaliation. What was the NATO operation called?

Answer: Deliberate Force

Srebenica and Zepa were two 'safe havens' that suffered particularly in the summer of 1995. Over 8,000 civilians in Srebenica were killed during an 11-day period in July 1995.

9. During the NATO-led air strikes, which USAF F-16 pilot was shot down over hostile territory and managed to survive undiscovered before being rescued by US special forces?

Answer: Scott O'Grady

Over 100 aircraft were employed in the search for O'Grady. He was plucked from under the noses of Bosnian Serb forces in broad daylight.

10. It was during the Bosnian Civil War that a highly secret F-117 stealth bomber was first shot down.

Answer: False

This was in March 1999 over Kosovo, allegedly by SAM missiles although other sources claim it was a lucky anti-aircraft fire hit. the Bosnian war had been over for more than three years by the time the USAF suffered its first F-117 casualty. Like O'Grady, the F-117 pilot was also safely rescued by US special forces.

11. Which city, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, was besieged by Bosnian Serb forces for more than three years?

Answer: Sarajevo

The siege of Sarajevo began on 2 May, 1992. It suffered 10,000 civilian casualties through indiscriminate bombing, shelling and sniper fire from 1992-1995. It was at that time the longest siege since that of Leningrad during the Second World War. The siege officially ended on 29 February, 1996.

12. In October 1995, US President Clinton engineered a ceasefire and mediated between the Presidents of Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Croatia to arrange peace talks. Where were these talks held?

Answer: Dayton, Ohio

In November 1995, President Clinton met with Presidents Milosevic (Yugoslavia), Izetbegovic (Bosnia) and Tudjman (Croatia) at AFB Wright-Patterson just outside Dayton, Ohio. The 'Dayton Accords' set in place the terms for the formal peace treaty in Paris a month later and how the peace would be monitored.

13. The peace agreement of late 1995 called for the deployment of 60,000 NATO-led troops in Bosnia known as I-For. What did I-For stand for?

Answer: Implementation Force

The Implementation Force consisted of troops from 24 countries under NATO control, incuding the USA (20,000), Britain (13,000), France (8,000) and Russia (2,000). Its aim was to maintain the fragile peace between the various groups and to help establish an independent multi-ethnic Bosnian republic.

14. I-For was replaced in December 1996 with the I.S.F. What do its initials stand for?

Answer: International Stabilization Force

The International Stabilization Force was formed from halving I-For to 30,000 troops. This was deemed necessary in December 1996 - the original deadline for withdrawal of NATO-led forces - because the political situation was still volatile.

15. Slobodan Milosevic died in March 2006 while on trial for war crimes. Where did the trial take place?

Answer: The Hague

The former president of Yugoslavia was arrested in Belgrade on 1 April 2001. His trial opened on 12 February 2002 but he died on 11 March 2006 before a verdict was reached.

Source: Author Plumbus

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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The Civil War in Bosnia Trivia Quiz

How much do you remember about the civil conflict that erupted in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s? Some of the questions are on the early background to the state of Yugoslavia.

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