The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

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Ill THE EARLIER HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN SLAVS

TuE history of the Serbo-Croat nation and its States is a long uninterrupted tragedy, as stirring and sincere as all the true and great tragedies of life. The tragedy of the SerboCroat nation consisted in the fact that they were placed by historical circumstances in conditions adverse to their inborn character, and they are obliged, in spite of their pacifie dispositions, to become a warlike people in order to assure their existence and to accomplish their historie mission of defending European civilisation against barbarous invaders. Thus, since the very first appearance of the Serbo-Croat nation upon the scene of the world’s history, its name has always been connected with wars and military deeds, which throughout centuries have re-echoed from the Balkan countries which for the past thirteen centuries have been the home of the Southern Slay people. No wonder that the idea is deeply rooted that the Serbo-Croat race is warlike in character and that war and military achievements are its favourite activity. This idea is only partly true, as the Serbo-Croat

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