Final answer:
The Kosovo conflict involved Serbs and Albanian Muslims, with the latter seeking autonomy from Serbian control. It ended after NATO intervention with lasting tensions making the Balkans volatile. The fall of Eastern Bloc dictatorships reflected a shift towards self-determination and democracy in the region.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conflict in Kosovo primarily involved Serbs and Albanian Muslims. Albanian Muslims felt persecuted because they desired autonomy from Serb control, yet Serbia, led by President Slobodan Milošević, sought to retain Kosovo due to its historical significance as the heart of the Serb Orthodox Church and a cradle of the medieval Serbian Empire. Milošević used similar tactics in Kosovo as he did in Bosnia, including a campaign of ethnic cleansing aimed at uniting all ethnic Serbs in one nation.
The conflict ended after NATO intervention and the implementation of Operation Allied Force, which pushed Milošević to halt the ethnic cleansing campaign and eventually led to the 1999 Kumanovo Treaty. The Balkan Peninsula remains a 'powder keg of Europe' due to ongoing ethnic tensions and the complex political landscape. The Nuremberg Trials set a precedent for international war crimes which was later applied to Slobodan Milošević's actions during the Yugoslav Wars.
The events in Lithuania, Romania, and Poland reflected a movement toward policies of self-determination in Eastern Europe, marked by a shift away from Soviet influence and towards independence and democratic governance.