Reading PCG's Booklet, Germany's Conquest of the Balkans (Part 1)

Let us now look through Gerald Flurry's booklet, Germany's Conquest of the Balkans. Here Flurry discusses the Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001), more specifically the Croatian War of Independence and the Kosovo War, and blames it on Germany and cites Yugoslavia's disintegration and resultant mass suffering as evidence that Germany is arising as a world power and will soon destroy the United States, Britain and the State of Israel. This booklet was first published in 1999 as The Rising Beast. It was subsequently revised in 2003, 2006 and 2011. You can read the current version of this booklet on their website. That is the same version read here.

Let us now begin.

Chapter 1

This chapter claims that Germany's recognition of Slovenia and Croatia as independent states in December 1991 initiated the collapse of Yugoslavia. This act is portrayed as a wicked betrayal of the Serbs and part of a covert plot by the Germans to create its own world empire and eventually betray America and Britain by conquering them and taking their peoples captive as slaves. Flurry also portrays Croatian independence as a revival of fascism. 

This chapter is largely based on an article "Croatia Reveals the Rising Beast!" from the January 1999 Philadelphia Trumpet. (Flurry's booklet mentions that article on page 20.)

Once again the Germans are structuring an empire. They have moved their capital from Bonn back to Berlin and their parliament to the Reichstag. The parliamentary term Reichstag was first used in association with the Holy Roman Empire. It is the building from where Hitler launched a war that cost about 50 million lives.

That is how badly the Germans wanted an empire in World War II. Their whole history reveals a similar pattern.

Foreign-affairs analysts are waking up to what is happening in Europe—and it all started in the Balkan Peninsula. (p. 1.)

Flurry then quotes some obscure publication entitled the European Foundation Intelligence Digest. I never heard about them until I read this booklet. Its article is mentioned because it referred to the European Union as the "German Empire".

With Croatia and Slovenia firmly attached to the EU, the Union began the process of imposing its version of “security” on other nations that once formed the old Republic of Yugoslavia. (p. 2.)

What Republic of Yugoslavia? It was never called that. First Yugoslavia was a Kingdom until 1941 when it was invaded and occupied by the Nazis. After World War II it was reconstituted as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. Later in 1963 it was renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. That was its name until 1992 when in the midst of its disintegration it was renamed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 2003 it dropped the name Yugoslavia when it became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. It 2006 this was also dissolved when Montenegro declared independence after a referendum. It was never called the Republic of Yugoslavia. Maybe he wants to forget that the post-World War II Yugoslavia he supports and romanticizes was a Communist state.

Flurry then fear mongers over the European Union (which PCG constantly demonizes as a puppet for the Germans) assuming a police mission in Bosnia.

The first EU police mission under the European Security and Defense policy began in Bosnia in January 2003, taking over from the United Nations International Police Task Force. This ended the direct involvement of the United Nations, NATO and the United States in Bosnia and set the pattern for the ultimate takeover of the entire Balkan Peninsula by this European force. (p. 2.)

Flurry says this is a sign that the Germans have conquered what used to be Yugoslavia. 

Concerning the other old Yugoslav countries, Serbia and Montenegro are now virtually vassal states of the EU, almost totally dependent on the Union for financing reconstruction and development following the Yugoslav wars. (p. 2.)

Flurry then says Kosovo and Macedonia are now puppets of the Germans and criticizes the Germans for putting Serbia "under pressure" to recognize Kosovo as an independent state. Serbia to this day does not recognize Kosovo. This pressure is not working on them.

Europe has effectively conquered Yugoslavia! We will prove in this booklet that the former Yugoslavia is in fact the first victim of World War III. (p. 2.) 

So has World War III started already?

Flurry then quotes a 1995 issue of the Intelligence Digest to fear monger that America is plotting to let Germany assume dominance over the nations of former Yugoslavia. It seems to be talking about Croatia more then anyone else (pp. 2-3).

Flurry ends this 1995 quote with these words.

“Washington urgently needs to think again before it is too late: Its policy for Europe is not a policy for future stability; it is the reverse” (p. 3.)

It should be stated here that since 1995 Croatia has not been at war. Bosnia has not been at war since 1996. Violence continued in other parts of the former Yugoslavia but in Croatia or Bosnia. Stability was set in by 1995 in Croatia and for the most part in Bosnia as well. (Some violence did continue in Bosnia into 1996 but the full scare war had ended in 1995 with the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords.) So it must be said this article was wrong.

Flurry says Germany and the Pope recognized Slovenia and Croatia in December 1991 because they are Catholics. Here Flurry begins to spend the remainder of this chapter fear mongering that the recognition of Slovenia and Croatia by Germany and the Pope started the Yugoslav Wars and proves that no one has the power to stop Germany and the Pope.

In December 1991, serious events began to take shape within Germany and Eastern Europe. Germany—although strongly opposed by the European Economic Community, the U.S. and the UN—recognized the breakaway states of Croatia and Slovenia. Pope John Paul II quickly did the same. (This was not a coincidence; the people of these two Balkan states are staunchly loyal to the Roman Catholic Church.) The European Economic Community caved in and recognized the two states on January 15, 1992. (p. 3.)

Gerald Flurry essentially claims these acts started the Yugoslav Wars. Gerald Flurry loves to bring this particular detail up over and over again because focusing on this particular detail because it so well serves to demonizes Germany and the Pope. This is the detail that PCG continuously presents when they talk about the Yugoslav Wars. But this hides a lot of the facts concerning the dissolution of Yugoslavia.

Germany recognized Slovenia and Croatia in December 1991. Slovenia declared independence long before then. And this was done after a referendum on December 23, 1990 in which 88.5% of voters chose to vote for Slovenia's independence. After this came the Ten Day War (June 27-July 7, 1991) during which the Slovenian successfully resisted the attempt by the Federal Government based in Belgrade to reimpose their authority over Slovenia. Belgrade soon gave up partly because there were so few Serbs there. All this occurred long before Germany's recognition of Slovenia in December 1991.

Croatia declared independence on October 8, 1991. This was done after a referendum on May 19, 1991 in which 93.24% of voted chose to vote for Croatia's independence and 92.18% of voters chose to vote against remaining in Yugoslavia. All this occurred before Germany's recognition of Croatia in December 1991.

How can Germany be blamed for Slovenia and Croatia becoming independent when so many within Slovenia (88.5% of voters) and Croatia (93.24% of voters) voted for independence from Yugoslavia?

Flurry later (pp. 12-13) claims that Germany recognizing Slovenia and Croatia's independence was undemocratic, but these declarations of independence were both made after referendums in those territories that voted for independence.

Why would so many of the people of Slovenia and Croatia would feel so strongly about separating from Yugoslavia? A major reason can be found in the "Anti-bureaucratic revolution" led by Slobodan Milošević that stirred among some Serbs from about 1986-9. Many non-Serbs viewed this movement as an attempt to seize resources and power for the Serbs and away from non-Serbs.

You would never know any of this reading Flurry's booklet. 

We now continue.

After this Flurry then quotes a New York Times article dated December 15, 1991. He claims this prove that Germany submits to no one and is plotting to expand its power militarily.

Germany started World Wars I and II. Let’s not forget that mind-numbing history. That same war spirit was thriving in Germany’s support of these breakaway states! The Germans were strongly opposed by the whole world and still got their way.

The first blow of World War III has already been struck. That is because this same nation—Germany—will continue this aggressive war spirit until the whole world is dragged into a nuclear World War III! So say history and Bible prophecy.

The habit of starting every world war dies hard. (p. 4.)

Germany did not start the Pacific War.

Also has World War III already started? How strange this World War III appears! It rages in the former Yugoslavia for ten years (1991-2001) then it just stops, thirteen years now and counting, but some men in Edmond, Oklahoma keep telling anyone who will listen that the Yugoslav Wars are the beginning of World War III.

After this Flurry fear mongers that Germany and the Pope are behind the secession of Slovenia and Croatia. Flurry claims that Germany was practically alone in recognizing Slovenia and Croatia and then forced the rest of the world to recognize them. Flurry says this shows that Germany is so powerful no one can make them stop once they have made a decision. He also says that Germany's support for Slovenia and Croatia had disturbingly similar to how Germany behaved during the Nazi era.

If Germany and the Pope were really so powerful then why did they not prevent the US from invading Iraq in 2003? Both were vocally opposed to the invasion yet the US was not stopped.  

German public opinion was strongly pro-Croatian and anti-Serbian, or in reality anti-Yugoslavian. The German people are emotionally involved with these two republics. (p. 7.)

A major reason why the Yugoslav Wars began was that the sense of unity within Yugoslavia had fallen apart. The process of political polarization made it impossible to be pro-Yugoslavian in any meaningful way. As noted before one reason the war in Slovenia ended so quickly was because Slovenia had few Serbs so Belgrade was more willing to let go of Slovenia.

Now a German-led EU virtually controls all of Yugoslavia. As you continue reading, we will prove to you that this was the first nation conquered by the reviving Holy Roman Empire.

World War III has already begun! Soon all of Europe will be under Germany’s control—and that is only the beginning. America, Britain and the nation called Israel today will be conquered by the Holy Roman Empire! (p. 8.)

World War III started already? The Yugoslav Wars ended in 2001, thirteen years ago. Has World War III been invisible for 4745 days?

The Serbs fought on the side of America and Britain in two world wars. In the 1990s, the Serbs were the only power to resist Germany in the Balkans. Now Germany is having its way in that part of the world. And the European Union is now openly discussing global ambitions—challenging America. (pp. 10-11.)

Why does Flurry talk about "the Serbs"? Shouldn't he write of "the Yugoslavs"? Even Flurry here obliquely testifies to the fact that any sense of pan-Yugoslav identity had disintegrated by this time. 

Why talk about "the Serbs"? What about Montenegro? That government chose to side with Serbia throughout the Yugoslav Wars.

Also this booklet has no discussion about how Macedonia proclaimed independence and yet avoided war with Belgrade. If only the rest of Yugoslavia's disintegration could have been done so peacefully.

Also this talk about how "the Serbs" (as Flurry puts it) supported the Allies' cause in the two world wars deserve some discussion. During World War II not all the Serbs chose to fight Nazi occupation. Some became collaborators as occurred in every country forced to endure occupation by the Nazis and their allies. Also there was a second armed insurgency group emerged called the Chetniks who claimed allegiance to the deposed King of Yugoslavia. The Chetniks were predominantly Serb. However the Chetniks tended to loath the Communist led Partisans and often some Chetniks collaborated with the Nazis and their collaborators against the Partisans. Because these Chetniks collaborated with the Nazis and their allies Britain and America chose to not support the Chetniks and throw in what aid they could give to the Partisans. After the war the Partisans led by Tito emerged victorious and unified the nation as a Communist state.

We shall continue with Chapters 2 and 3 in the future.

To be continued...

[Update (July 19, 2014): This reading is continued in Part 2 and Part 3.]