The Macedonian question: From the VMRO to the Second Balkan War of 1913

The history of the armed struggle about Macedonia started on the 23th October 1893 in Thessaloniki (Greece), when Macedonian six teachers from Macedonia, under supervision of Dame Gruev (1871-1906), founded the VMRO: Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (in Macedonian Vnatresna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija, Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација, ВМРО). The other teachers were Hristo Tatarchev, Petar Pop-Arsov, Andon Dimitrov, Hristo Batandzhiev and Ivan Hadzhinikolov. On that time Macedonia was still part of the Ottoman Empire.

The VMRO wanted an independent Macedonia, and they were not supported by other countries (that 's why they called it intern) , but they were supported by Bulgaria. After several terrorist attacks (they blow up the bank from Thessaloniki in the night from 29th -30th April 1902) the revolution against the Ottomans started on the 2nd of August 1902, or the day of Illinden (now a national holiday in Macedonia). The most successful the revolution was in Krusevo, and from the 2nd of August until the 12th of August the "republic of Krusevo" existed.

The national anthem from Macedonia refers to that "republic". The Ottoman authorities succeed to finish this rebellion, with the help of Muslim-Albanese people. The revolution was short (1 month), hard and cruel: +/-4500 deaths,200 villages were burnt down and 70.000 displaced people.

Below a map of Macedonia and it's region and how it went divided by the treaty of Bucharest in 1913 after the Balkans wars.


*A good book about the Macedonian revolution is the Orient-Express written by A. den Doolaard (Dutch).

Click on the map to enlarge

Macedonia Splitted

After two Balkan wars, Macedonia was splitted between Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Greece. The Macedonia we know now became part of the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. The southern part became a Greek province (Aegean Macedonia), and the Eastern part became Bulgarian (Pirin-Macedonia). Untill the eighties the Greek province was called Northern-Greece after they renamed it Macedonia. Untill now this situation exists, with small border corrections.

Click on the map to enlarge