9.5 Postwar Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Atrocities

TLDR

After World War II, hopes for lasting peace ran into a hard reality: nationalist and separatist movements, ethnic conflict, and ethnic cleansing kept disrupting Europe. The most extreme case was the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, where new nationalisms in central and eastern Europe led to war and genocide in the Balkans. For the AP exam, you should be able to explain the causes and effects of these mass atrocities from 1945 to the present.

Why This Matters for the AP European History Exam

This topic sits inside the larger story of how total war and a polarized Cold War order gave way to new conflicts over national and ethnic identity. It connects directly to the theme of national and European identity, plus states and institutions of power.

On the exam, you are likely to use this material to:

• Build causation arguments about why nationalism and ethnic tensions turned violent after 1945.
• Analyze continuity and change between earlier atrocities (like the Holocaust in Unit 8) and postwar ethnic cleansing.
• Compare peaceful separatist movements with violent ones.
• Support a thesis with specific evidence about the Balkans and other ethnic conflicts.

The skills here, especially causation and continuity/change, show up across multiple-choice questions and free-response prompts, so being able to explain causes and effects clearly is what matters most.

Key Takeaways

• Nationalist and separatist movements, ethnic conflict, and ethnic cleansing repeatedly disrupted the post-World War II peace in Europe.
• New nationalisms in central and eastern Europe led to war and genocide in the Balkans, the clearest required example for this topic.
• Separatism means breaking away to form a new political unit, while nationalism focuses on unity and shared identity within a nation. Know the difference.
• Some movements stayed mostly political; others turned violent, so causes and outcomes varied a lot.
• Ethnic cleansing is the systematic removal of an ethnic or religious group from a territory, often through violence or forced migration.
• The international community, including the UN and NATO, gradually took more active roles in responding to atrocities in the 1990s.

Nationalism and Separatist Movements

After WWII, many ethnic and regional groups pushed for greater autonomy, cultural recognition, or full independence. Outside Europe, colonies were winning independence. Inside Europe, tensions between ethnic and language groups produced separatist movements that strained national unity.

Keep the basic distinction straight:

• Nationalism usually promotes unity and shared identity within a nation.
• Separatism seeks to break away from an existing state to form a new political unit based on ethnicity, language, or culture.

Examples of Postwar Nationalism and Separatism

These are useful applications of the concept, not a required checklist. Use them as evidence when they fit your argument.

• Ireland: Nationalists in Northern Ireland resisted British rule through both political and violent means during the period known as the Troubles. The Good Friday Agreement (1998) brought a peace settlement.
• Chechnya (Russia): Chechnya, a region in the North Caucasus, fought two wars for independence from Russia in the 1990s and 2000s. These conflicts involved harsh crackdowns and widespread reports of human rights abuses and civilian casualties.
• Basque (ETA): Basque nationalists in Spain pursued independence, and the militant group ETA used violence over several decades.
• Flemish Movement (Belgium): In Dutch-speaking Flanders, separatists pushed for more autonomy. Language and cultural differences from French-speaking Wallonia fueled demands for more local control over taxation, education, and governance.

Ethnic Conflict and Mass Atrocities

Nationalist feeling sometimes turned violent, especially when mixed with ethnic or religious hostility. That combination produced ethnic cleansing, the deliberate removal of a minority group to create an ethnically uniform region.

Ethnic cleansing is the systematic removal of an ethnic or religious group from a territory, often through violence, terror, or forced migration. It is treated as a crime against humanity under international law.

The required core for this topic is the Balkans: as Yugoslavia broke apart in the 1990s, new nationalisms led to war and genocide.

Examples of Postwar Ethnic Cleansing

• Bosnian Muslims (1992-1995): As Yugoslavia disintegrated, Bosnian Serb forces carried out ethnic cleansing and genocide against Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), most notoriously at Srebrenica.
• Albanian Muslims of Kosovo (1998-1999): Albanian Muslims in Kosovo were targeted by Serbian forces in another campaign of ethnic cleansing, which drew international intervention.

The table below organizes the Balkan atrocities that anchor this topic. The Holocaust belongs to Unit 8 and is shown here only as earlier context for comparison, not as part of the postwar 1945-to-present focus.

International Response

During the 1990s, the United Nations and NATO took more active roles in humanitarian intervention in the Balkans. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was created to prosecute war crimes committed during these conflicts. This response is a strong example to cite when you discuss effects of these atrocities.

How to Use This on the AP European History Exam

Free Response

When a prompt asks about causes and effects of mass atrocities, lead with the required claim: new nationalisms in central and eastern Europe produced war and genocide in the Balkans. Then back it with specific evidence like atrocities against Bosnian Muslims and the targeting of Albanian Muslims in Kosovo. Naming the ICTY and NATO intervention gives you concrete effects.

Causation

Build a clear chain: the collapse of multiethnic states (especially Yugoslavia) plus rising ethnic nationalism led to violence, ethnic cleansing, and eventually international intervention. Avoid listing events with no link between them.

Continuity and Change

This topic pairs well with the Holocaust from Unit 8. You can argue continuity in how ethnic and religious identity was weaponized, and change in how the international community responded more directly by the 1990s.

Comparison

Compare separatist movements that stayed mostly political with those that turned violent. For example, contrast peaceful or negotiated outcomes with armed campaigns. This shows you understand that causes and effects varied.

Common Trap

Do not assume every nationalist or separatist movement led to genocide. Many were political struggles for autonomy. Keep the violent cases (the Balkans) separate from the broader, often nonviolent push for self-government.

Common Misconceptions

• Nationalism and separatism are not the same thing. Nationalism builds shared identity within a nation; separatism tries to break away and form a new state. Mixing these up weakens your analysis.
• Ethnic cleansing is not always the same as genocide. Ethnic cleansing focuses on removing a group from a territory. It can include genocide, as in Bosnia, but the terms are not interchangeable.
• The post-1945 focus is the Balkans, not the Holocaust. The Holocaust is Unit 8 content. For this topic, your required evidence comes from postwar ethnic conflict, especially in the former Yugoslavia.
• Postwar Europe was not simply peaceful. Even with moves toward unity and cooperation, nationalist and separatist movements and ethnic violence kept disrupting that peace.
• International intervention came late and was uneven. The UN, NATO, and the ICTY became more active mainly in the 1990s, so do not assume strong global enforcement existed right after WWII.

Related AP European History Guides

• 9.1 Context of the Cold War and Contemporary Europe
• 9.3 The Cold War
• 9.2 Rebuilding Europe After World War II
• 9.9 Decolonization
• 9.4 Two Super Powers Emerge
• 9.7 The Fall of Communism