Repression of the Albanian independence campaign
The Revocation of Kosovo’s Autonomy and Albanian Response
- Serbia’s repressive measures after 1989
- After Kosovo's autonomy was revoked, Serbia implemented harsh control measures to suppress Albanian political expression.
- Key Albanian leaders, such as Kaqusha Jashari and Azem Vllasi, were removed.
- Serbian authorities expanded surveillance, policing, and media restrictions across the province.
- The Albanian reaction
- In response to growing repression, and inspired by democratic changes elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Albanian delegates symbolically declared Kosovo an independent republic in July 1990.
- After Serbia dissolved the Kosovo Assembly, Albanian representatives secretly met in Kačanik, where they drafted a constitution for the self-declared Republic of Kosovo.
Historiography
How Important Was Milošević for Albanian Nationalism?
- Milošević as a catalyst
- Scholars like Tim Judah argue that Milošević was a key trigger for Kosovo Albanians’ declaration of independence.
- His policies abolished Albanian institutions, censored Albanian media, and imposed cultural and economic marginalization.
- These actions radicalized what had previously been a more moderate nationalist movement.
- Structuralist interpretation
- Historians such as Noel Malcolm stress that independence was the result of long-term forces.
- They argue it reflected decades, if not centuries, of Albanian dissatisfaction, marginalization under Yugoslav rule, and the persistent dream of self-determination.
- Deeper historical roots
- While Milošević accelerated the process, the movement had deeper roots, stretching back to interwar Yugoslavia, the 1974 constitution, and even the League of Prizren (1878).
- In this view, Milošević was not the sole spark but rather the latest expression of a much deeper structural problem.
Kosovo Albanians’ Push for Independence
- Suppression of Albanian culture and media
- The Serbian parliament banned Albanian-language broadcasts and media, aiming to politically and culturally marginalize Albanians, who made up over 90% of Kosovo’s population.
- These measures intensified resistance and reinforced Albanian demands for national self-determination.
- 1991 Unofficial Independence Referendum
- Amid the broader Yugoslav collapse and increasing Serbian repression, Kosovo Albanians organized an unsanctioned independence referendum.
- The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), under Ibrahim Rugova’s leadership, oversaw the vote.
- Results of the referendum
- According to Albanian sources, over 87% of eligible voters participated, and about 99% voted in favor of full independence.
- This was seen as a direct response to the abolition of Kosovo’s autonomy in 1989 and Serbia’s martial law-style governance.
- Symbolic impact and parallel structures
- Although the international community did not recognize the result, it served as a symbolic declaration of self-determination.
- It also laid the foundation for a “parallel state” that included an underground education system (after Albanian-language schooling was banned) and unofficial healthcare networks supported by diaspora funding.
- Role of the LDK under Rugova
- The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), founded in 1989, became the main political force behind independence.
- The LDK promoted a strategy of peaceful, nonviolent resistance, distinguishing Kosovo’s movement from the violent wars elsewhere in former Yugoslavia.
