HY465 examines the history of the Balkans in the second half of the Twentieth century and on the threshold of the Twenty First century. It is not, however, designed to provide a simple historical overview of the region during this period. The course aims to integrate broader themes and interpretations of the Cold War and its legacy, and of deeper civilizational undercurrents of the second half of the Twentieth Century, with the study of the region and its only federation, Yugoslavia. To do so, it will invoke three main themes that will also facilitate insight into the interaction between the global, regional, and country specific. Firstly, the course will explore the regional and inter-bloc dynamics within the structured Cold War system. Secondly, the course will look into the unique role Yugoslavia played in the creation of the alternatives and challenges to the bipolar structure and rigidity of the Cold War world. Thirdly, the course will offer insight into the dramatic impact the end of the Cold War had on the developments in the region; at the same time, it will assess the role that the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the subsequent wars of secession had on the creation of the concepts that became the building blocks of the post-Cold War international system.