Why did nationalism and ethnic conflict persist and erupt in postwar Europe, even after 1945?
Topic 9.5 Postwar Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Atrocities: the persistence of nationalism and ethnic conflict after 1945, including population transfers, the breakup of Yugoslavia, and the return of atrocity to Europe.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.5, on postwar nationalism, ethnic conflict, and atrocities: the population transfers after World War II, the suppression of ethnic tensions under the Cold War order, and the violent re-eruption of nationalism after 1989, above all in the wars and ethnic cleansing of the former Yugoslavia.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 9.5 asks you to explain postwar nationalism, ethnic conflict, and atrocities: how nationalism and ethnic conflict persisted after 1945 despite the horrors of the war, including population transfers, the Cold War's suppression of open conflict, and the violent re-eruption of nationalism after 1989, above all in the former Yugoslavia. The College Board wants you to see that nationalism did not die with the Second World War.
Population transfers after the war
Suppression under the Cold War
Re-eruption after 1989
When the Cold War order collapsed, so did the lid.
Why it mattered
Postwar nationalism and ethnic conflict show the persistence and danger of one of the master forces of modern European history. Nationalism, which had built the nation-states of Unit 7 and helped drive the catastrophes of Unit 8 (and the Holocaust, Topic 8.9), did not vanish after 1945; it was suppressed by the Cold War order and re-erupted when that order collapsed (Topic 9.7). The Yugoslav wars are a sobering counterpoint to the story of integration and progress that runs through much of Unit 9, a reminder that the contemporary continent still wrestles with the forces that shaped its violent past.
Try this
Q1. Name the most terrible example of postwar ethnic conflict in Europe. [Recall]
- Cue. The violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, which brought war, atrocity, and ethnic cleansing back to European soil for the first time since 1945.
Q2. Explain why ethnic conflict re-erupted in Europe after 1989. [Short explanation]
- Cue. The Cold War order and communist control had suppressed but not resolved national and ethnic tensions, so when communist control collapsed after 1989, those long-suppressed tensions burst back into the open, most catastrophically in the former Yugoslavia.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2019 (style)3 marksBriefly describe ONE example of postwar ethnic conflict or atrocity. Briefly explain ONE reason nationalism persisted after 1945. Briefly explain ONE reason ethnic conflict re-erupted after 1989.Show worked answer →
A Short Answer Question (SAQ), 3 points, one per task.
A. Describe: the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, with war and ethnic cleansing, or the postwar expulsions and population transfers.
B. Why nationalism persisted: national identity remained powerful even as the Cold War order suppressed open ethnic conflict.
C. Why it re-erupted: the collapse of communist control after 1989 released long-suppressed national and ethnic tensions.
Markers want an example, a reason for persistence, and a reason for re-eruption.
AP 2021 (style)6 marksEvaluate the extent to which nationalism remained a destabilizing force in Europe after 1945.Show worked answer →
A Long Essay Question (LEQ), scored on the 6-point continuity-and-change rubric.
Thesis (1): "Nationalism remained a powerful and at times destabilizing force after 1945, suppressed but not erased by the Cold War order and re-erupting violently after 1989, above all in the former Yugoslavia."
Contextualization (1): the long history of European nationalism and the division of the continent.
Evidence (2): postwar population transfers; the Cold War's suppression of open conflict; the wars and ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia.
Analysis (2): weigh the suppression of nationalism against its violent return, then add complexity by noting the role of the end of communism.
Related dot points
- Topic 7.2 Nationalism: the idea of the nation, its romantic and liberal roots, and how it became the dominant political force of the 19th century, uniting some peoples and dividing others.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 7.2, on 19th-century nationalism: the idea that peoples sharing a language, culture, and history should form their own nation-state, its romantic and liberal roots, and how it both unified peoples (Italy, Germany) and threatened the multinational empires.
- Topic 9.7 The Fall of Communism: the collapse of communism in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, its causes (economic failure, Gorbachev's reforms, popular movements), and the end of the Cold War.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.7, on the fall of communism: the economic stagnation and political repression that undermined the Soviet bloc, Gorbachev's reforms, the popular movements that swept eastern Europe in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
- Topic 9.3 The Cold War: the ideological and geopolitical struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, the division of Europe, and the crises and competition that defined the conflict without direct war.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.3, on the Cold War: the ideological and geopolitical struggle between the capitalist West and the communist East, the division of Europe and Germany, the policy of containment, the arms race and rival alliances, and how the conflict shaped Europe without direct superpower war.
- Topic 8.9 The Holocaust: the Nazi genocide of European Jews and other targeted groups, its roots in fascist ideology and antisemitism, how it was carried out, and its place in modern history.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 8.9, on the Holocaust: how Nazi antisemitism and racial ideology escalated from persecution to genocide, the industrialized mass murder of six million Jews and millions of other victims, and the significance of the Holocaust as the central atrocity of the 20th century.
- Topic 9.9 Decolonization: the rapid dismantling of the European overseas empires after World War II, its causes (nationalism, European weakness, Cold War ideals), and its consequences for Europe and the world.
A focused answer to AP European History Topic 9.9, on decolonization: how and why the European overseas empires were dismantled after World War II, the roles of anti-colonial nationalism, European weakness, and Cold War pressures, and the consequences including new nations, migration, and lasting global ties.
Sources & how we know this
- AP European History Course and Exam Description — College Board (2020)