In the 4th-5th century BC, there were more than 40 militant nomadic tribes in Kosovo, who were the ancestors of Albanians. From the end of the 6th century to the beginning of the 7th century, a large number of Slavic immigrants crossed the Danube and settled in the Balkans. In the 9th century, the Serbs among the Yugoslavs established their own country. 1389 was occupied by Turks on June 28th, and the whole Balkan region was gradually occupied by Ottoman. In Kosovo, the Ottoman rulers of Turkey implemented a policy of changing the religious beliefs of local residents in order to safeguard the interests of the rulers. Prior to this, the local Serbs believed in the Orthodox Church, while Albanians believed in Catholicism. Although the Ottoman Empire did not take coercive measures to change the beliefs of local residents, these believers did not stipulate that they must believe in Islam, and they allowed the existence of Orthodox Church and Catholicism. However, believers must pay the poll tax to the local government, which is quite high, almost beyond the affordability of ordinary Orthodox Christians and Catholics. If anyone converts to Islam and becomes a Muslim, they can be exempted from paying this tax. So many Albanians have accepted Islam. In this case, many Serbs moved to areas dominated by Christianity, and this long journey reached its climax in the17th century. According to historical records, from the middle of17th century to the beginning of18th century, about 30,000 to 40,000 Serbs moved to Hungary of Habsburg Empire or Croatia of Adriatic Sea. Turkish rulers distributed the land and houses left by exiles to Albanians who changed their religious beliefs, and moved Albanians living in neighboring areas into Kosovo. By the18th century, Kosovo had become a region with a majority of Albanians. According to Turkey 19 10 census, Albanians in Kosovo province accounted for more than 60% of the local population at that time, and the rest were Serbs, Turks and Bulgarians.

/kloc-since the end of 0/8, the independence movement of all ethnic groups in Yugoslavia has been surging.

After two uprisings, Serbia established the principality in 18 15 and Montenegro established the principality in 1852. 1876- 1878 After the Turkish Cypriot War, the Albanian national rejuvenation movement continued to rise. The declining Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire began to support Albanians for fear of Serbia's strength. During the period of 1880- 1889, 60,000 Kosovo Serbs moved to the north. 19 12, Balkan countries declared war on Turkey, overthrew the rule of Turkey, and Kosovo, which had been enslaved by the Ottoman Empire for five centuries, was reintegrated into Serbia, and most of its residents were Albanians. In order to restore the multi-ethnic balance, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, established in 19 18, confiscated the manor of the Turkish landowner and gave priority to Serbian soldiers who had made meritorious deeds. A large number of Albanians working in the manor moved to Turkey with the Turks, which drastically reduced the number of Albanians who settled here. By 1929, there will be about 500,000 Albanians in Kosovo, accounting for about 39% of the total entrance to Kosovo.

194 1 year, Yugoslavia was divided by the Axis Powers, Kosovo was annexed by Mussolini's "Greater Albania", and nearly 654.38+million Serbs were forced to flee their homes.

At that time, the guerrillas led by the Yugoslav and Albanian production parties who fought side by side against fascism held different views on the ownership of Kosovo. 1943 At the end of 0944, at the meeting of the Kosovo People's Liberation Committee held in Albania, it was decided to merge Kosovo into Albania, but the decision was immediately opposed by the Yugoslav Central Committee. 1944 l 65438+ 10, the South People's Liberation Army liberated Kosovo. 1945 In February, when the Second World War was coming to an end, Albanian rebels established a military government in Kosovo. 16 In March, the military government issued a decree prohibiting Serbs and Montenegrins from Kosovo from returning to Kosovo, saying that they were supporters of the autocratic regime of Greater Serbia. 40,000 Yugoslav soldiers fought fiercely with 6,543,800 Albanian soldiers. As a result, Serbia regained control of Kosovo and thousands of Albanian Muslims were exiled to Turkey.

1945 In July, the People's Assembly of Kosovo decided to merge Kosovo into Serbia. In this way, after the war, Kosovo returned to the Yugoslav territory led by Tito. However, although Albanians are the fifth largest ethnic group in Yugoslavia, Kosovo, where Albanians live in concentrated communities, has not obtained the status of an autonomous republic like Serbia and Montenegro. According to Yugoslav Constitution 1946, Kosovo is an autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija and belongs to the Republic of Serbia. The Serbs purged the pro-fascists among Albanians, but this aroused the resistance of Albanians and further intensified ethnic contradictions.

It is precisely because of the above-mentioned long-term and complicated historical changes that both Serbs and Albanians consider themselves the masters of Kosovo and failed to become the seventh autonomous republic of Yugoslavia. What's more, the Albanians in Kosovo thought that they had been treated unfairly in Yugoslavia, and held many demonstrations to demand independence.

After the founding of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, it emphasized "the independence, equality and self-determination of the people of all ethnic groups in Yugoslavia" and established an autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija in Serbia and China. In the1960s, about 700,000-300,000 Albanians fled to Kosovo. With the recovery and development of economy, the tendency of nationalism in various countries is gradually rising. Developed regions demand the abolition of state control, while Serbia insists on centralization and federal control of investment funds. Due to historical reasons, Kosovo is the poorest region in Yugoslavia. 1953, the per capita GNP of Kosovo is 53% of the average level of South Africa, and illiteracy accounts for 40.4% of the total population, while the illiteracy rate in developed areas under the former Habsburg dynasty is only 19.438+0%. Albanians, who account for the majority of Kosovo's population, lag far behind the Serbs in living standards and educational level, but the birth rate is far higher than that of the Serbs. Overpopulation in turn aggravates poverty. By 1957, the per capita GNP of Kosovo had dropped to 42% of the national average. From 65438 to 0966, the population growth rate of Kosovo was 3.79%, and that of Albanians increased to 1 10,000, while that of Yugoslavia was only 1%. 1968, Kosovo students held a large-scale demonstration, demanding autonomy for the first time and shouting for the establishment of the Republic of Kosovo. Yugoslav President Tito agreed to give Kosovo a certain degree of autonomy. By 197 1, the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo account for 73.7% of the total population, and their demands for national self-determination are increasingly strong. 1974 The new Yugoslav Constitution gives Kosovo extensive autonomy and enjoys rights similar to those of other Yugoslav republics. Albanians have schools that teach in their mother tongue, which has trained a large number of Albanian intellectuals. Due to the backward economy and culture in Kosovo, many Serbs left Kosovo to find a good way out in other areas, while the Albanian intellectuals who stayed in Kosovo were dissatisfied because they could not find satisfactory jobs, which became the core of the movement for national independence.

1980 In May, Tito died, Yugoslavia lost its leader with personal authority, and the tendency of separation among countries was constantly strengthened. 1981From March to April, Albanian university students trained by Albanian exchange students held demonstrations in Pristina University, demanding the establishment of an independent Republic of Kosovo. Demonstrators first clashed with the police, many students were arrested, and Serbian authorities sent troops to temporarily impose military control on Kosovo. As a result, the contradiction between Kosovo Serbs and Albanians has become increasingly acute, often brewing into bloody conflicts. Serbs believe that Kosovo is the holy land of Serbia and the cradle of Serbian civilization. For historical reasons and national feelings, Serbia cannot give up Kosovo. From an ethnic point of view, Kosovo is becoming more and more Albanian. By 199 1, Serbs in Kosovo only accounted for 1 1% of the total population, while in 196 1, Serbs still accounted for 27.4%. During 1987' s visit to Kosovo, Milosevic appealed to local Serb residents not to leave this land because of difficulties.

As a national minority, Serbs feel more and more isolated and excluded, while Albanians are striving for political advantages and ethnic conflicts are intensifying.

1988, more than 6,000 Serbs and Montenegrins living in Kosovo accused Albanians of harassing them and held large-scale protests, demanding the abolition of the Constitution and the abolition of Kosovo's autonomous status. In the late 1980s, Yugoslavia was torn apart by ethnic conflicts and economic crisis. Milosevic, leader of Serbian Production Party, used nationalism complex to win over the masses and improve his prestige. Serbia is unable to prevent Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from leaving Yugoslavia, but it is determined not to prevent Kosovo from becoming independent at all costs. The reason for this is that, from the national sentiment, "Kosovo is the birthplace of the first Serbian kingdom in history, and whoever gives it up will become a sinner in the eyes of Serbs." Milosevic used this national feeling of Serbs to support the Serbs in Kosovo and put forward the slogan of "Greater Serbia". 1On February 27th, 989, Milosevic declared a state of emergency, sent troops to suppress the strike of Albanian miners and student demonstrations, revised the Constitution of 1974, abolished the status of Kosovo as an autonomous province, cancelled Albanian schools and banned Albanian organizations, including news organizations. There were violent clashes and gun battles between ethnic Albanians and police. More than 20 people were killed and many people were arrested. 1990 65438+ 10, Serbian police used tear gas, batons and water taps to suppress Albanian demonstrators. In the face of the "Great Serbian Doctrine" of Serbs, Albanians' hopes of establishing a Republic of Kosovo within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were dashed, and the confrontation between Serbs and Albanians became more and more fierce, and the riots became more and more serious. Yugoslavia sent troops, police, tanks and planes to Kosovo and imposed a curfew in Kosovo. However, this move did not eliminate Albanian nationalism, and the conflict between Serbia and Albania escalated and the contradiction worsened.

199810 June 13, the Kosovo crisis broke out. Western countries believe that if the situation in Kosovo gets out of control, it will trigger a more terrible war in the Balkans than the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and even threaten the security of the whole of Europe, so they intervened in the Kosovo crisis. On July 5th, US Special Envoy Holbrooke held talks with Kosovo Albanian political leader Rugova, which showed that the US government insisted on Kosovo's self-government without independence. However, in the face of NATO's military threat, Yugoslavia did not stop, but intensified its armed attacks and encirclement and suppression. By August, the number of refugees in Kosovo has reached more than 200,000, and western countries are worried that it will trigger a refugee tide. The Security Council once again demanded an immediate ceasefire between the two sides of the Kosovo conflict, and NATO even threatened to use force against Yugoslavia. 65438+ 10/1Under the military pressure of NATO, Yugoslav President Milosevic announced that he would fully implement the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, that Yugoslavia would withdraw its troops from Kosovo under the supervision of the international community, and start autonomy negotiations with Kosovo Albanians as soon as possible. 101On October 27th, NATO announced that it would suspend its air strikes against Yugoslavia.

1In March, 1999, NATO launched an air strike against Yugoslavia under the condition of warning Yugoslavia and attacking Kosovo Serbs. Yugoslavia launched a large-scale attack on the Kosovo Liberation Army and began to expel a large number of Albanians from Kosovo, resulting in an unprecedented 850,000 refugees.

In June, Yugoslavia accepted the peace plan put forward by the Group of Eight (the Group of Eight includes seven western industrialized countries and Russia). The Security Council supported this plan and authorized Yugoslav member States to establish a security presence to stop hostilities, disarm the Kosovo Liberation Army and promote the return of refugees. The plan also requires the Secretary-General to establish a temporary international civil administration so that people can enjoy a high degree of autonomy and have an autonomous government. After the Yugoslav army withdrew from Kosovo province, NATO suspended its bombing operation, and 500,000 international security forces stationed in Kosovo entered the province to ensure safety.

A joint interim administrative structure was established, including representatives of various ethnic groups. Throughout the region, about 3,000 UNMIK police officers have been deployed and the Kosovo Police Service has been established, including representatives of all Kosovo minorities. 1In September 1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army was completely dissolved and its personnel were integrated into civil society. In the months after the ceasefire, about 265,438+0,000 non-Albanian Kosovars left Kosovo for Serbia and Montenegro (now two independent countries, Serbia and Montenegro), and a joint commission ensured their safe return.

At the end of June 2000, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was gradually replaced by the Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, although the organization played an active role in the local area. In May 200012000, UNMIK established a new institution to strengthen its police and judicial capacity, which was previously attached to the Civil Administration. The new "police and justice" institutions are directly under the leadership of the United Nations.

In April, 20001,the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia accused Slobodan Milosevic and other four people of committing crimes against humanity in "a series of attacks on Kosovo Albanian civilians", and they were brought to court in June. In September, the Security Council lifted the arms sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In the month of 5438+065438+ 10, Kosovo-wide elections were held and 120 members of the Legislative Assembly were elected. In March 2002, the General Assembly elected the first president and prime minister of this province.

At the end of 2003, senior officials, with the assistance of the United Nations, formulated a set of standards for Kosovo, including free, fair and normal election activities. Free news media coverage; A fair and efficient judicial system. On February 30th, 65438, UNMIK handed over some special responsibilities to the local interim government, and retained some powers, including security, diplomacy, protection of minority rights and energy.

Kosovo officially declared its independence on February 6, 2008.

Serbia, Russia, Romania and Georgia resolutely oppose Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, while the United States, Australia, Japan and the International Olympic Committee support Kosovo's independence. There are differences of opinion among EU countries on the Kosovo issue. Some EU countries, including Britain and Germany, support Kosovo's independence. However, Cyprus insists that the issue of Kosovo's status should be decided by a UN resolution, saying that it will not recognize a unilaterally declared independent Kosovo state. The Italian side insists that the EU will stop opposing Kosovo's independence by accelerating accession negotiations with Serbia, but China's opinion is unknown. It should be neutral, after all, it doesn't matter much.