ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Greece–Yugoslavia relations

Okay, imagine you and a friend both have some toys that you love playing with. Sometimes, you and your friend might have disagreements about who gets to play with which toys. This can make both of you upset and it's not fun.

Well, Greece and Yugoslavia are two countries that used to be friends but sometimes had disagreements, just like you and your friend. Greece is a country in southern Europe while Yugoslavia used to be a country in southeastern Europe, but no longer exists.

You see, a long time ago, Greece and Yugoslavia used to be part of a bigger country called the Ottoman Empire. But then, they both wanted to be independent and have their own countries. So, they fought and struggled to become independent.

After they became independent, Greece and Yugoslavia wanted to be good neighbors and help each other. They even created agreements to support each other's independence and protect their borders. It was like making a promise to be friends and not fight.

But sometimes, just like you and your friend, they had disagreements. These disagreements were about things like land, borders, and the rights of people living in those areas. They didn't always agree on how to solve these problems, which made their relationship a bit difficult.

One of the biggest disagreements happened in the 20th century, when there was a big war called World War II. Both Greece and Yugoslavia were affected by this war, and they had different ideas about what should happen after the war ended.

During this time, some people in Yugoslavia believed in communism, which means that everyone shares things equally and there is no private property. On the other hand, Greece didn't want to become a communist country and preferred a different type of government.

This caused tensions between Greece and Yugoslavia, and they had clashes and conflicts. They even fought a war in the late 1940s. It was like when you argue with your friend and it becomes a big fight where you both feel angry and upset.

After the war, they tried to make peace and improve their relationship. Sometimes they succeeded, and sometimes they had more disagreements. Over the years, they had to work together and talk to each other to find compromises. It's like when you and your friend talk and find a way to play with your toys without fighting.

Eventually, Yugoslavia fell apart in the 1990s and turned into several different countries. Greece and these new countries had to figure out how to have good relations with each other. It was like when your friend moves away, and you have to make new friends and learn how to get along with them.

Nowadays, Greece and the countries that formed from Yugoslavia try to have peaceful and friendly relations. They talk and work together on various things like trade, tourism, and security. Sometimes they still have disagreements, but just like you and your friend, they try their best to compromise and find solutions.

So, overall, Greece and Yugoslavia had a complicated relationship with ups and downs, just like you and your friend. But like any good friends, they always try to work things out and find a way to get along.