Bosnian Muslims in the Second World War

This is an outstanding piece of work. Written with Marko Hoare's characteristic lucidity, analytic force and mastery of a huge range of sources, it will not only be the definitive work on this complex topic for a very long time to come; it will also stand as a model of how to construct, "from the bottom up", the politico-military history of a modern society plunged into conflict. * Noel Malcolm, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford *
Marko Hoare's brilliant and exciting new book addresses two major questions: how was it possible for the Yugoslav Partisans to recreate a state to which the majority of the local people did not owe primary loyalty, and what tactics did they use to win the war? Focussing on the struggle for Bosnia-Herzegovina, it reveals the full complexity of the Yugoslav theatre of World War Two. A must-read. * Sabrina P. Ramet, author of The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building and Legitimation, 1918 - 2005 *
The tragic history of Bosnia during the Second World War is a uniquely rugged and challenging historical canvas that demands a special kind of historian. In this magisterial and profoundly involving book, Marko Attila Hoare deploys a dazzling command of documentary resources to unfold a gripping human story. * Christopher Hale, author of Hitler's Foreign Executioners *
Based on an unparalleled command of original documents, Marko Hoare provides an analytically powerful but richly nuanced study of the role of Bosnia's Muslims in the Second World War. He challenges the prevailing, stereotype-ridden views of a bipolar conflict won single-handedly by the Yugoslav Communists and shows compellingly that the Muslims were decisive in the eventual triumph of Tito's Partisans. * Robert J. Donia, Research Associate at the University of Michigan's Center for Russian and East European Studies and author of Sarajevo: A Biography *