Today in History: The Bulldozer Revolution, 10/5/2000
“I used to call him a pig, but I no longer do because pigs can think and he can’t”, a community member from Yugoslavia in 2001 described Slobodan Milosevic, the president of Yugoslavia at that time.
Thousands in Yugoslavia shared the same opinion towards the president. As people were left with bombed factories, low incomes, and absolutely nothing after the Yugoslavian Wars, Milosevic's inability to improve the devastating situation angered thousands of people.
On October 5th, 2000, the communally despised Slobodan Msevic was forced out of office after what is known today as the Bulldozer Revolution. A few weeks before, on September 24th, a presidential election was held, to which Milosevic banned international observers who were supposed to be there to ensure the fairness and ethicality of the election. A few days later, the opposition coalition, the DOI, headed by Vojislav Kostunica, claimed a landslide victory in most towns in Serbia. However, Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia refused to accept defeat and ordered a second ballot between him and Kostunica.
On September 27th, mass demonstrations began: students fled their institutions, transport workers blocked bridges, and miners went on an enormous strike. Up to one million people took to the streets and set fire to the Yugoslav parliament. The people demanded that Milosevic step down by October 5th. On that day, along with thousands of protesters, an individual broke through the police and security lines of the protest through the use of a bulldozer. This is where the revolution got its label.
The bulldozer might not have been the determining factor that led to Milosevic's resignation the next day, but 20 years later, it still remains one of the most memorable moments of the short and effective revolution.
