The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian: Socijalistička federativna republika Jugoslavija, Социјалистичка федеративна република Југославија; Slovenian: Socialistična federativna republika Jugoslavija) was the Yugoslav state that existed from the end of World War II (1945) until it was formally dissolved in 1992 (de facto dissolved in 1991 with no leaders representing it) amid the Yugoslav wars. It was a socialist state that comprised the area of the present-day independent states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and the self declared, partially recognised Kosovo. In 1992, the two remaining states still committed to a union, Serbia and Montenegro, formed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which had not been recognized as the successor of the SFRY by international leaders.

Formed from the remains of the pre-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the country was proclaimed in 1943 and named Democratic Federal Yugoslavia. In 1946, it became the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia blank">http://www.arhiv.sv.gov.yu/a100008i.htm Proclamation of Constitution of the Feredative People’s Republic of Yugoslavia, 31. 1. 1946. and in 1963 the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Under the leadership of _Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavia pursued a policy of neutrality during the Cold War and became one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Rising ethnic nationalism in the 1980s to the 1990s in the SFRY initiated dissidency among the multiple ethnicities, which led to the country collapsing on ethnic lines which were followed by wars fraught with ethnic discrimination, human rights violations, and genocide which have left tense relations and significant degrees of xenophobia particularly between ethnic groups which fought each other in the Yugoslav Wars.