Blackwell Reference Online

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To many observers the Serbian Revolution was the consummate “television revolution.” On October 5, 2000, several hundred thousand protesters gathered in the center of Serbia's capital, Belgrade. The international media reported live when a few demonstrators drove a bulldozer into the parliament, which was later set on fire by angry crowds. The clouds in the sky were signaling the downfall of Slobodan Milošević's authoritarian nationalist regime, which had largely dominated Yugoslav and Serbian politics since 1987. The revolt followed a disputed first round in a presidential election on September 24, 2000. Vojislav Koštunica, the candidate of a broad antiMilošević coalition calling itself the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), claimed he had won more than 50 percent of the votes. Milošević's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) refused to accept defeat and called for a second round. In response DOS started strikes and demonstrations to overthrow the Milošević regime, claiming it was trying to falsify the election results. DOS was assisted by the dynamic youth movement “Otpor” (Resistance), which effectively mobilized tens of thousands of activists all over the country. The mass protests were successful: On October 7, 2000, Milošević resigned. In parliamentary elections the following December, DOS won an impressive victory and two-thirds of the seats, electing Zoran Djindjic of the ... log in or subscribe to read full text