Ethnic Macedonian propaganda Demographic history of Macedonia

ethnographic map of balkans (1897), in hungarian, seen in pallas great lexicon:

the slav macedonian ideology during second half of 19th century @ inception. 1 of first preserved accounts article macedonian question petko slaveykov, published on 18 january 1871 in macedonia newspaper in constantinople. in 1880, georgi pulevski published slognica rechovska in sofia attempt @ grammar of language of slavs lived in macedonia. although had no formal education, pulevski published several other books, including 3 dictionaries , collection of songs macedonia, customs, , holidays. in 1888, kuzman shapkarev wrote marin drinov regard usage of words macedonian , bulgarian:

stranger name macedontsi, imposed on 10 15 years ago outsiders, , not our own intellectuals.... yet people in macedonia know nothing of ancient name, reintroduced today cunning aim on 1 hand , stupid 1 on other. know older word: bugari, although mispronounced: have adopted peculiarly theirs, inapplicable other bulgarians .

the first significant manifestation of slav macedonian nationalism book За Македонските Работи (za makedonskite raboti - on macedonian matters, sofia, 1903) krste misirkov. in book misirkov advocated slavs of macedonia should take separate way bulgarians , bulgarian language. misirkov considered term macedonian should used define whole slavic population of macedonia, obliterating existing division between greeks, bulgarians , serbians. adoption of separate macedonian language advocated means of unification of ethnic macedonians serbian, bulgarian , greek consciousness. on macedonian matters written in south slavic dialect spoken in central bitola-prilep. dialect proposed misirkov basis future language, and, misirkov says, dialect different other neighboring languages (as eastern dialect close bulgarian , northern 1 close serbian). misirkov calls language macedonian.

while misirkov talked macedonian consciousness , macedonian language future goal, described wider region of macedonia in 20th century inhabited bulgarians, greeks, serbs, turks, albanians, aromanians, , jews. regards ethnic macedonians themselves, misirkov maintained had called bulgarians until publication of book , called bulgarians independent observers until 1878 when serbian views started recognition. misirkov rejected ideas in on macedonian matters later , turned staunch advocate of bulgarian cause - return (slav) macedonian idea again in 1920s. [1]

another prominent activist ethnic macedonian national revival dimitrija Čupovski, 1 of founders , president of macedonian literary society established in saint petersburg in 1902. during 1913–18 period, Čupovski published newspaper makedonski golos (Македонскi Голосъ) (meaning macedonian voice) in , fellow members of petersburg macedonian colony propagandized existence of separate macedonian people different greeks, bulgarians , serbs, , struggling popularizing idea independent macedonian state.

following second balkan war in 1913, partition of macedonia among 3 entities had taken part in battle (serbia, greece , bulgaria) placed today s territory within kingdom of serbia. serbian rule ensured slav macedonian symbolism , identity henceforth proscribed, , standard serbian permitted spoken locals of macedonia. in addition, serbia did not refer southern land macedonia, legacy remains in place today among serbian nationalists (e.g. serbian radical party).

the ideas of misirkov, pulevski , other ethnic macedonian slavs remain largely unnoticed until 1940s when adopted socialist republic of yugoslavia influencing codification of macedonian language. claims of present-day historians republic of macedonia autonomists in imro defended macedonian position largely ungrounded. imro regarded - , regarded ottoman authorities, greek guerilla groups, contemporary press in europe , misirkov -as exclusively bulgarian organization. present-day historians republic of macedonia claim imro split 2 factions: first aimed ethnic macedonian state, , second believed in macedonia part of wider bulgarian entity.