Ptolemy
08-14-2006, 07:27 AM
FYROM Claim:
Hellenization of Aegean Macedonia after partition in 1913 Before Macedonia was partitioned it had all its cities written in cyrillic. Schools were teaching in cryillic and people in that region spoke cyrillic. In 1913 Aegean Macedonia was "liberated" (the correct term is partitioned) to Greece.
Fact:
The propagandists of FYROM simply ignore the fact that Nobody has invaded Macedonia in 1913 but instead during the first Balkan war, the Balkan coalition between Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro INVADED OTTOMAN EMPIRE, for the liberation of the Bulgarians, Greek and Serbs who lived there. The movement for independent Macedonia, which started far earlier (at the end of the 19th century) had an UNDISPUTED BULGARIAN CHARACTER and this fact is described by any contemporary (of the time) observer, historian, diplomat, nomatter what the skopjan propagandists claim. There is no need to rewrite history - it's well described in so many books. There are many examples of 1 nation living in 2 different states. Furthermore, Macedonia had a rather mixed population at that time because of which the idea for independent Macedonia was more attractive for the local population than the idea for union with Bulgaria. The fact that the uprising in 1903 was a Bulgarian one and the fact that IMRO was an organization founded by BULGARIANS are descibed in all books (from that time and even in all books pre-1945).
In addition, any claim from FYROM propagandists that this was an act of imperialism is downright silly, especially in light of the fact that the Christian populations of Macedonia and of the rest of the Balkans consisted exactly of Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians and no "Macedonians" as previously stated, because no distinct Macedonian nation had ever existed until its artificial creation by the Yugoslav communist regime at the end of World War
II.
I must stress the point that no Skopjan genius has ever dared address: That all, and I repeat ALL, population statistics of the last years of Ottoman rule for the vilayets of Macedonia mention Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians, Serbians, Jews, gypsies - but not a single "Macedonian". Until 1914, the concepts of "Macedonia" as a Slav state and of "The Macedonian race" as a separate nationality were absolutely unrecognised. Neither the Treaty of Berlin, nor the Treaty of San Stefano make any reference to such concepts. There are no statistics prior to WWII ever mention any "Macedonians" as a distinct nation!!!!
For the word "Macedonian" is a geographical and not an ethnic attribute. It has been used to denote a Greek from Macedonia (as in the "Macedonian dynasty" of Byzantium) or, later, also a Bulgarian from Macedonia. It is the part of the Skopje population that is ethnically Bulgarian and has been heavily brainwashed by the Yugoslav communist regime (even to the point of trying to artificially modify the language, but even now it is only a Bulgarian dialect), with only partial success, to think of itself as istinctly "Macedonian" - for the purpose of usurping the Greek Macedonian historical heritage and laying territorial claims on Greece as well as for inhibiting any Bulgarian effort to lay claim on FYROM's territory.
During the years 1922-1925 the following population changes occurred in Greek Macedonia:
- in conformity with the Greek-Turkish Treaty of Lausanne (1923), the Muslims were moved to Turkey.
- in conformity with the Treaty of Neuilly (1919), 53,000 Bulgarians from Greek Macedonia were resettled in Bulgaria.
To these figures one should add 29,000 Bulgarians who had fled to Bulgaria during the war. The Greek refugees from Turkey and Bulgaria settled in Macedonia on lands left vacant by the Muslims and Bulgarians.
The League of Nations' figures given above are authoritative since the population re-settlements were carried out under its aegis and with the supervision and responsibility of the International Committee.
The League of Nations (Greek Refugee Settlement - 1926) vested with its authority the following count for Greek Macedonia:
1912 1926
Greeks 513,000 1,341,000
Muslims 475,000 2,000
Bulgarians 119,000 77,000
Various 98,000 91,000
Hellenization of Aegean Macedonia after partition in 1913 Before Macedonia was partitioned it had all its cities written in cyrillic. Schools were teaching in cryillic and people in that region spoke cyrillic. In 1913 Aegean Macedonia was "liberated" (the correct term is partitioned) to Greece.
Fact:
The propagandists of FYROM simply ignore the fact that Nobody has invaded Macedonia in 1913 but instead during the first Balkan war, the Balkan coalition between Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro INVADED OTTOMAN EMPIRE, for the liberation of the Bulgarians, Greek and Serbs who lived there. The movement for independent Macedonia, which started far earlier (at the end of the 19th century) had an UNDISPUTED BULGARIAN CHARACTER and this fact is described by any contemporary (of the time) observer, historian, diplomat, nomatter what the skopjan propagandists claim. There is no need to rewrite history - it's well described in so many books. There are many examples of 1 nation living in 2 different states. Furthermore, Macedonia had a rather mixed population at that time because of which the idea for independent Macedonia was more attractive for the local population than the idea for union with Bulgaria. The fact that the uprising in 1903 was a Bulgarian one and the fact that IMRO was an organization founded by BULGARIANS are descibed in all books (from that time and even in all books pre-1945).
In addition, any claim from FYROM propagandists that this was an act of imperialism is downright silly, especially in light of the fact that the Christian populations of Macedonia and of the rest of the Balkans consisted exactly of Greeks, Serbs and Bulgarians and no "Macedonians" as previously stated, because no distinct Macedonian nation had ever existed until its artificial creation by the Yugoslav communist regime at the end of World War
II.
I must stress the point that no Skopjan genius has ever dared address: That all, and I repeat ALL, population statistics of the last years of Ottoman rule for the vilayets of Macedonia mention Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians, Serbians, Jews, gypsies - but not a single "Macedonian". Until 1914, the concepts of "Macedonia" as a Slav state and of "The Macedonian race" as a separate nationality were absolutely unrecognised. Neither the Treaty of Berlin, nor the Treaty of San Stefano make any reference to such concepts. There are no statistics prior to WWII ever mention any "Macedonians" as a distinct nation!!!!
For the word "Macedonian" is a geographical and not an ethnic attribute. It has been used to denote a Greek from Macedonia (as in the "Macedonian dynasty" of Byzantium) or, later, also a Bulgarian from Macedonia. It is the part of the Skopje population that is ethnically Bulgarian and has been heavily brainwashed by the Yugoslav communist regime (even to the point of trying to artificially modify the language, but even now it is only a Bulgarian dialect), with only partial success, to think of itself as istinctly "Macedonian" - for the purpose of usurping the Greek Macedonian historical heritage and laying territorial claims on Greece as well as for inhibiting any Bulgarian effort to lay claim on FYROM's territory.
During the years 1922-1925 the following population changes occurred in Greek Macedonia:
- in conformity with the Greek-Turkish Treaty of Lausanne (1923), the Muslims were moved to Turkey.
- in conformity with the Treaty of Neuilly (1919), 53,000 Bulgarians from Greek Macedonia were resettled in Bulgaria.
To these figures one should add 29,000 Bulgarians who had fled to Bulgaria during the war. The Greek refugees from Turkey and Bulgaria settled in Macedonia on lands left vacant by the Muslims and Bulgarians.
The League of Nations' figures given above are authoritative since the population re-settlements were carried out under its aegis and with the supervision and responsibility of the International Committee.
The League of Nations (Greek Refugee Settlement - 1926) vested with its authority the following count for Greek Macedonia:
1912 1926
Greeks 513,000 1,341,000
Muslims 475,000 2,000
Bulgarians 119,000 77,000
Various 98,000 91,000