National Geographic 1970. (nem teljes évfolyam) [antikvár]

THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE VOL. 137, NO. 5 COPYRIGHT © 1970 BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, WASHINGTON, D. C. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED YUGOSLAVIA Six Republics in One By ROBERT PAUL JORDAN Senior Editorial Staff Illustrations by National Geographic Photographer JAMES P. BLAIR AT FIRST GLANCE, the Socialist Federal l\ Republic of Yugoslavia makes a West-erner blink. Automobiles clog the streets of this Communist state. Shoppers throng stores. People invite you to their weekend villas. Students prefer English to all other foreign languages. The national economy booms. Within a limited framework, private enterprise flourishes in its pursuit of profit. And housewives complain about the rising cost of living. At second glance, another paradox startles you: A peaceful political revolution accompanies the clamor for material goods. Centralization of government lessens, by design, ripping the fabric of conventional Communism. Power filters to Yugoslavia's six equal republics: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Hercegovina (map, pages 592-3). I have traveled thousands of miles through them all, relying heavily on a dozen-odd in-terpreter-guides to help sort out this amazing variety of peoples and cultures. Language barriers separate many Yugoslavs. But the differences run deeper. The first interpreter I hired tried to set me straight. "My friend," he declared, lifting a tot of sljivovica,* the fiery national drink, "you will learn that Yugoslavs hold few things in general esteem." He ticked them off on his fingers. "Freedom President Tito and this." My guide gulped his plum brandy. I thought he jested. On the contrary, I soon saw, he hit the mark. Yet the web of union remains tough and resilient in this young and kaleidoscopic nation. The Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) emerged from the shambles of World War I and lasted only 23 years —until Nazi Germany carved it up. When World War II ended, Communist Yugoslavia was born; the man who had led Partisan resistance forces to victory, Josip Broz Tito, continued as leader of the new federation. History and geography have always conspired cruelly against the Balkans, and Yugoslavia lies at their heart. A natural route between Europe and Asia, for centuries this land has felt the heel of invaders: Illyrians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, barbaric tribes from ¦"Yugoslavs pronounce s like the "sh" in should; c is "tch." Z compares to the second "g" in garage. C equals "ch" and d is pronounced "dj," as in edge. 589