On the establishment of the kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, overprinted or definitive stamps were issued for each of the individual provinces: Bosnia-Herzegovina in November 1918, Croatia on 18 November 1918 and Slovenia on 3 January 1919. These continued until the issue of the first combined stamps in 1921.

Stamps in Slovenia included a special issue for the plebiscite to be held in Carinthia, the province of Bavaria which subsequently became part of Austria, and the funds so raised were used to enable the Carinthians to travel to vote. Although Yugoslavia was ruled by a king it remained a loose association at first and only became a kingdom in 1929.

1939-45
In 1941 Yugoslavia was put under pressure by Germany to join the Axis powers. On 24 March the government agreed, but on 26 March General Simovic overthrew the government. On 6 April Germany invaded Yugoslavia and quickly overran the country. The government surrendered on 17 April but a guerrilla campaign began immediately against the occupying powers. On occupation, the Germans and Italians divided the country into its original constituent parts. Stamps were issued for each sector including Croatia, which became an autonomous state on 10 April 1941.

In addition to occupation issues referred to above, other parts of Yugoslavia were controlled by other German allies. Hungary acquired all territory north of the river Drava, including the major town of Novi Sad. Albania was given a large area, including Uleini on the coast and Pec, Dakovica, Pristina, Prizren and Kicevo. This part was officially annexed on 12 September 1942. Bulgaria gained Yugoslav Macedonia, which included the towns of Skopie, Pirot and Bitola, which had been part of Serbia. All these territories were returned to Yugoslavia after the war.

1945 to date
The guerrillas and partisans who had fought the Germans during their occupation of the country were themselves split by loyalties and political affiliation. Marshal Tito seized power in April 1945 and formed the territory into a democratic federation. Because of the general shortage of stamps, regional overprints were produced in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. The first general issue, still an overprint, was released on 14 December 1944, but regular issues did not appear until February 1945.

Genaral Tito died in 1980 and the political balance between the federal presidencies was unable to prevent the secession of some of the constituent parts of the Republic. Independence was declared by Slovenia on 25 June 1991 and fighting broke out in Croatia. Croatia itself had declared its independence on 30 May and the war between Croat and Yugoslav troops continued until January 1992. Macedonia had also left the Federation on 18 September 1991.

In 1992, Kosovo, a province in the south of Yugoslavia with a largely Albanian population, in defiance of the Serb authorities, held parliamentary and presidential elections. These were won by the Democratic League of Kosovo amd its Muslim leader Ibrahim Rugova. Clashes between the ethnic Albanians and the Serb Police followed in early 1998 and led to an aerial bombardment by the NATO Allies in 1999. Kosovo's position in respect of the Yugoslav Federation in general and Serbia in particular remains unclear in the long-term but currently (end of 1999), a NATO and Russian force is in a peace-keeping role with FPOs of the various contingents in place.

Yugoslavia 1918-22
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Break-up of Yugoslavia (1991-1997)
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