Historical experience has shown that the key national actors in Yugoslav unification – primarily Serbs and Croats, followed by Slovenes – had not only disproportionate stakes in the union but also differing expectations for its future. For the majority of the Serbian nation, the union was considered a permanent commitment, as it was the only state formation in which nearly all Serbs could live within a single set of borders. In contrast, Croats and Slovenes viewed it as a transitional phase toward the creation of their own independent national states. This fundamental difference inevitably influenced the often-tragic divide between Serbian and Yugoslav national sentiments, as well as between Serbian and Yugoslav identities.