Why did Yugoslavia break up?

The reasons for Yugoslavia's breakup include cultural and religious divisions between the ethnic groups comprising the country, decline of the communist ideology and the end of Cold War rivalry. The death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980 also accelerated the breakup.

The great economic crisis in the 1980s exacerbated the animosity between the ethnic groups comprising the country. Slovenia, which had greater economic weight, felt disgruntled as it was contributing 20 percent of the gross national product despite making up only 8 percent of the population. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that an important incentive to Yugoslavia's unity and cooperation had been removed.