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Stevan K. Pavlowitch
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Hitler's New Disorder: The Second World War in Yugoslavia Hardcover – 1 Jan. 2008

by Stevan K. Pavlowitch (Author)
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The history of the Second World War in Yugoslavia was for a long time the preserve of the Communist regime led by Marshal Tito. It was written by those who had battled hard to come out on top of the many-sided war fought across the territory of that Balkan state after the Axis Powers had destroyed it in 1941, just before Hitler's invasion of the USSR. It was an ideological and ethnic war under occupation by rival enemy powers and armies, between many insurgents, armed bands and militias, for the survival of one group, for the elimination of another, for belief in this or that ideology, for a return to an imagined past within the Nazi New Order, or for the reconstruction of a new Yugoslavia on the side of the Allies. In fact, many wars were fought alongside, and under cover of, the Great War waged by the Allies against Hitler's New Order which, in Yugoslavia at least, turned out to be a 'new disorder'. Most surviving participants have since told their stories; most archival sources are now available. Pavlowitch uses them, as well as the works of historians in several languages, to understand what actually happened on the ground. He poses more questions than he provides answers, as he attempts a synoptic and chronological analysis of the confused yet interrelated struggles fought in 1941-5, during the short but tragic period of Hitler's failed 'New Order', over the territory that was no longer the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and not yet the Federal Peoples' Republic of Yugoslavia, but that is now definitely 'former Yugoslavia'.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
  4. Publication date
    1 Jan. 2008
  5. Dimensions
    15.2 x 2.6 x 22.3 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1850658951
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1850658955
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

Pavlowitch has brought fresh interest to the study of the Second World War in Yugoslavia, in an elegantly written history. Author: Professor James Gow, King’s College University of London

reading your manuscript has provided me with many new insights and has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience Author: Dr Klaus Schmider, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst

Highly recommended. Source: Choice

'Hitler's New Disorder' promises to become essential reading . . . Pavlowitch has made an outstanding contribution. Author: Christof N. Morrissey, H-German

An indispensable addition to the library of every Balkan historian or student. Author: Marcus Tanner, Balkan Insight

Presents the clearest analyses that this reviewer has seen of the complicated interactions of the various political and military forces engaged . . . this is detailed, fine-grained history . . . a major achievement. Author: Robert M. Hayden, International History Review

A very solid 'synthetic treatment' that has long been needed. It must have been a herculean effort to keep track of various events, let alone make sense of all of the interweaving elements. Source: Historian

From the Author

Stevan Pavlowitch, the doyen of Balkan historians, is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Southampton and the author of three books published by Hurst, including Serbia: The History Behind the Name and Tito: Yugoslavia's Great Dictator.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd (1 Jan. 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1850658951
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1850658955
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.2 x 2.6 x 22.3 cm
  • Customer reviews:

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Stevan K. Pavlowitch

Stevan K. Pavlowitch

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Customer reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5 out of 5
3 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Vincent McNicholl
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2016
Verified Purchase
Book itself just ok. Service 100%.
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Mr. J. M. Harwood
4.0 out of 5 stars Yugoslavia in WWII
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2011
Verified Purchase
This is a very good book on a complex, controversial and difficult subject. The writer manages calmly and without polemics or detailed accounts of atrocities,to cover the War years in "Independent" Croatia, occupied Serbia and annexed (to different countries)Kosovo,Macedonia,Slovenia and the Dalmatian coast. Of course it was a dreadful time and certainly had an effect on what happened after Tito's death. There is no nonsense in the book of making any equivalence between Ustacha atrocities and the occasional violence of the Chetniks. Poor exiled King Peter comes out very sympatheitically (even his London wedding was ruined by anti-Orthodox sentiment). All in all it is a well-written an fair account.
3 people found this helpful
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P. J. Connolly
4.0 out of 5 stars The Chaos of War
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2014
As time passes it becomes to easier to perceive at just how many different levels and sub strata the Second World War was fought. The German invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 was a swift and uncomplicated conquest but it spawned a ferocious and complex civil war the consequences of which are still playing out to-day. In simplistic terms the protagonists were pro and anti axis but the internal conflicts were often more important than the nominal external allegiances of the parties involved. During Tito's long reign over Yugoslavia the myth of the heroic partisans standing alone against the Nazis, the Italians the Croat and Serb fascists and their Chetnik stooges reigned pretty much unchallenged, even in the West. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia a more nuanced picture has emerged, of which this Book is a reflection. The truth is that every party involved in the conflict had their agenda in pursuit of which they might fight or collaborate with any of the others. The advantage the partisans had was that they were well led, had a clear goal, enjoyed Soviet support throughout and were completely ruthless in pursuit of their objectives. The interest of the occupying Germans and Italians waxed and waned depending on other considerations but at no time were they able or willing to put in the level of resources that would have been necessary to effectively counter indigenous resistance. Equally for the Western allies Yugoslavia was always a sideshow. They wanted to keep the pot boiling to try and divert German resources away from more important fronts but never had any intention of invading. The Chetnik objective, as pursued by its leader Mihailovic, was to develop an organisation that could rise up when the Western forces entered Yugoslavia but the fatal flaw was that as time passed it became clearer that this was not going to happen and that it would be the Russians who would force the Germans out. This is not an easy book to read simply because any book trying to cover this period in Yugoslavia is going to be complex and convoluted. That said the Author has done a first rate job of covering the period comprehensively from the perspective of all the parties involved from Slovenes in the North to Macedonians in the South. The main focus is on the struggle in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzogovina because that is where there was a power vacuum and that was the main battleground for the major parties involved. Some knowledge of the geography and the history of pre war Yugoslavia would be an advantage before starting this book.
4 people found this helpful
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