Bulgarian Action Committees
Encyclopedia
The Bulgarian Action Committees in Macedonia
were patriotic nationalist organizations of Bulgarians
in Macedonia around 1941, emboldened by the invasion Yugoslavia
by Nazi Germany
, determined to end the Yugoslavian (Serbian) rule in the region, perceived as oppressive by Macedonian Bulgarians and by the representatives of other communities or political tendencies in Vardar Macedonia. They were also encouraged by the friendly relations between Nazi Germany
and Bulgaria
, and by the hope that after the German army swept through the Bulgarian one succeed it. The time of the Bulgarian Action Committees was a time witnessing an acute lack of authority. The Serbs
in authority positions had fled most of the region, not afraid of the Germans, but primarily of reprisals from the local Bulgarian population. Only the Serbian authorities in Skopje
and Bitola
did not flee. The Bulgarians, specifically the Action Committees, sought to take control of the region for Bulgaria, laying the groundwork for Bulgarian hegemony. The Executive Committee of the organization was headed by: Stephan Stephanov from Kratovo
, president, Spiro Kitinchev from Skopje
, vice-president and Vasil Hadzhikimov from Shtip (Novo selo), secretary. In Veles
Bulgarian Action Committees received the active support by popular communist functionaries as Panko Brashnarov
.
When the Yugoslav
rule was replaced by German military administration, and then finally by Bulgarian rule, these goals were realized. On May 18, 1941 the German military command in Skopie officially handed over the administrative power to the Bulgarian state. However, once the region and administration were organized, the Action Committees became marginalized, and ultimately dissolved.
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
were patriotic nationalist organizations of Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
in Macedonia around 1941, emboldened by the invasion Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, determined to end the Yugoslavian (Serbian) rule in the region, perceived as oppressive by Macedonian Bulgarians and by the representatives of other communities or political tendencies in Vardar Macedonia. They were also encouraged by the friendly relations between Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and by the hope that after the German army swept through the Bulgarian one succeed it. The time of the Bulgarian Action Committees was a time witnessing an acute lack of authority. The Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
in authority positions had fled most of the region, not afraid of the Germans, but primarily of reprisals from the local Bulgarian population. Only the Serbian authorities in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
and Bitola
Bitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
did not flee. The Bulgarians, specifically the Action Committees, sought to take control of the region for Bulgaria, laying the groundwork for Bulgarian hegemony. The Executive Committee of the organization was headed by: Stephan Stephanov from Kratovo
Kratovo
Kratovo may refer to:*Kratovo, Macedonia, a town in the Republic of Macedonia*Kratovo, Russia, an urban-type settlement in Moscow Oblast, Russia*Kratovo, Serbia, a settlement situated in the Priboj municipality of southwestern Serbia...
, president, Spiro Kitinchev from Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, vice-president and Vasil Hadzhikimov from Shtip (Novo selo), secretary. In Veles
Veles (city)
Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality.-Name:The city's name was Vylosa in Ancient Greek and before the Balkan Wars, it was a township with the name Köprülü in the Üsküp sandjak, Ottoman empire for 600...
Bulgarian Action Committees received the active support by popular communist functionaries as Panko Brashnarov
Panko Brashnarov
Panko Brashnarov was a revolutionary and member of the left wing of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization . As with many other IMARO members of the time, historians from the Republic of Macedonia consider him an ethnic Macedonian, whereas historians in Bulgaria consider him...
.
When the Yugoslav
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
rule was replaced by German military administration, and then finally by Bulgarian rule, these goals were realized. On May 18, 1941 the German military command in Skopie officially handed over the administrative power to the Bulgarian state. However, once the region and administration were organized, the Action Committees became marginalized, and ultimately dissolved.
See also
- History of BulgariaHistory of BulgariaThe history of Bulgaria spans from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The first traces of human presence on what is today Bulgaria date from 44,000 BC...
- History of the Republic of MacedoniaHistory of the Republic of Macedonia- Ancient period :In antiquity, most of the territory that is now the Republic of Macedonia was included in the kingdom of Paeonia, which was populated by the Paeonians, a people of Thracian origins, but also parts of ancient Illyria and Dardania, inhabited by various Illyrian peoples, and...
- Macedonia (region)Macedonia (region)Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...