The Macedonian question (1903-1913)

XVI SUMMARY This thesis called Macedonian Problem (1903-1913) has five chapters. In this work the problems lived at the beginning of the 20th century in Macedonia are considered in political, military, economic and social aspects. The purpose is to show that the Macedonian problem must be considered in the Eastern Question. That's why the problem also has to be considered in internal and external developments during the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Macedonian region became interesting point for many years in history because of social, political and economic reasons. Since this region undertook the role of being crossing or passing corridor, many different races and religious sects lived here. The borders of the region could not become fixed. For example during the reign of the Roman and the Ottoman Empires the borders were different. As the ruler of the region changed, the ruling system also changed in Macedonia. At the end, in the 20th and 21st centuries, the borders are more narrowed according to that of the 19th and earlier centuries, and the ruling system is a republic in Macedonia. The region was important for the European and the Ottoman history because of its strategic position. After the 19th century, the imperialistic European states and the Ottoman Empire gave Macedonia priority. The European states aimed at constituting security zones for continuation of their systems and at controlling these regions. However there were more than one European interest states planning political and economic plans over Macedonia. And this resulted more problems in this region and for the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan people accepted that they lived in peace for many centuries under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. But by the 19th century as the national movements get strong in Europe, they also wanted to create their own states. The weakness of the Ottoman Empire in internal and foreign affairs and the increasing of the Ottoman Empire's dependance to the European States lay the groundwork for the aims of the Balkan people. During this period the European States supported the Balkan people. Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria used this way in their independence. After the independence of these Balkan states, the control of the supporter states continued. The Ottoman Empire did not give up the aim of controlling the center of the Balkans, as the European and Balkan states did. But after the end of the 19th century the Ottoman Empire had to give up the rights over Macedonia, the region where the Ottoman Empire ruled since 14th century. Due to the abundance of the struggle over the region, Macedonia became the center of the disorganized public order in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire as the ruling power of the region tried many policies for the public order inXV11 Macedonia; sometimes tried to take the support of the different people of this region, sometimes of the different European states. The characteristic feature of the history of Macedonia of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries was the organizations. At the beginning they were band of rebels or çete. After that at the beginning of the 20th century the organizations changed styles and associations or societies started to work. This change was due to the changes in the political life in the Ottoman Empire. There were many different societies. In spite of that there were many different groups, they had one common point of view: the end of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. But each of them tried to take the control of Macedonia for themselves. That's why the public order in the region became worse and worse. None of the powers in Macedonia could not be successful and there were many different powers among European and Balkan states and also in Macedonia. That's why to reach a conclusion or a solution even by the way of a war was not easy. As it was in the last century, in this century Macedonian region is stil very important on efor the great powers. That's why it can be said that the region is stil important for the strategic, political, social and economic reasons. One part of the Eastern Question (that was the problem of division and sharing of the power of the Ottoman empire which began after the 17th century and reached its top in the 19th century) was the Macedonian Question and at the beginning of the 20th century this question could be reached a solution only by the Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913. In this century some problems also continues in the same region. This is not only a part of the Eastern Question but also of globalization. In the mountainous Balkan region, the people who were against the government usually used the system of brigandage in order to live. The most important band of rebels in Macedonian region in the 19th century were the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, the Supreme Committee, St. Sava and Ethnike Eteria. The last two of them carries out their national plans also during the Greek and Serbian independence war agaist the Ottoman Empire. After Bulgaria insisted the right over Macedonia, Greece and Serbia thought that their national identities and land ownership over this region were under dangerous position. That's why they decided to use these organizations in Macedonian region against Bulgaria and each other, also against these the Ottoman Empire. With the exeption of these three, the Balkan states could not be effective in Macedonian struggle because of their geographical distances, the weaknes of historical bases. Except Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, among the Balkan states only Romania could be effective because of the Wallach people in the region, but it was not so important.xvm The organizations began the great and important actions at the beginning of the 20th century after they reinforced their constructions at the end of the 19th century. Apart from the important part of the support of the people in the region, these organizations also were supported by the big European powers openly or secretly. The most important operation was realized in 1903. The operation of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization was supported both by the European economic and political powers and also by the European public. It was on the Holly illinden Day and in the Manastır (Bitola) region of Macedonia. By this uprising the short-living Kruşova republic was declared. This republic experience is very important for the history of Macedonia because it was accepted as the bas efor the future Macedonian Republic. The uprising could not be spread out Manastır and be beat by the Ottoman forces in a very short time. However what's done is done; there is no turning back. The die is cast. The aim of bandit groups could be supplied: the European support and intervention. In spite of the different ideas among the bandits about the future of Macedonia and the method of operations. The Ottoman government thought that the Ottoman forces had to bow to the will or authority of the European powers about Macedonia. Just after Hüseyin Hilmi Paşa was appointed as the General Inspector, a solution way was preented to Babıâli by Austria-Hungaria and Russia that was also get other European powers' approval. The name of the program was Miirzsteg which helped the Ottoman forces to supply public order in the region but in fact Miirzsteg program caused the Ottoman state authority to decline in quality in the region. The Miirzsteg period lasted from 1904-1908. After that the Reval meeting was prepared by the Russian tsar and English king. The proclamation of the II. Constitutional Period in the Ottoman Empire was effected by Reval meeting. This meeting was not an only reason of the proclamation of the Constitutional period but also the internal dynamics of the Ottoman Empire after the Tanzimat period. It was thought that in this meeting Russia and England planned the division of the Ottoman Empire; this idea was sped up the proclamation of the II. Constitutional Period in the Ottoman Empire. The attractive point of Macedonia for the European powers lie in economic interest. Apart from the strategic importance of Macedonia, the control of a region where the economic interests were high was important and unleavable for the European powers. The reforms became the most characteristic feature for the Ottoman Empire's being dependent on the European powers by the 19th century. These reforms were about political, cultural, social and economic structure. On these the Ottoman Empire was tried to be similar to the European powers. For this, especially education and religious structures were tried to be reorganized. By this way, the Ottoman Empire lost its own characteristics step byXIX step and was re-structured as a Western state. And it lost its internal dynamics. The Ottoman State tried to live against the Western States producing new things that could not be done be the Ottoman Empire. In this process, when the Western States produced and the Ottoman Empire did not, the Ottoman State lost power step by step. The year 1908 was very important in the history of Macedonian region as in the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states following certain political lines and the Orthodox Slavs living under the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia reached an important level in their aims against the Ottoman Empire. However in 1908 the Ottoman State made an important progress in ensuring freedom in the State. The opening of the Assembly is a good example for this. However a short time later, the Committee of Union and Progress took control in the Assembly, in the same period the Constitutional Clubs were opened instead of the bandit groups of the 19th century. The aim of these clubs were not so much different than that of the organizations which prepared uprisings at the beginning of the 20th century. The only different feature of the clubs from the organizations was the way or the system to reach their aims. These clubs were generally used for the policies of the Balkan states over Macedonia. The peace and quiet period that the Constitution supplied lasted in a very short time. The Balkan Wars started in 1912 between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan states prepared an end to the Macedonian Question. By this war the Ottoman Empire lost Macedonia. When the disagreement between the Balkan states about the partition of Macedonia resulted in the re-taking only some part in Macedonia by the Ottoman forces. An independent Macedonian Republic was declared at the end of the 20th century after many different stages were lived during the century in the region. But the problems did not end. In this century the ethnic and religious problems stil exist and in spite of these problems, the Macedonian State tries not to be a dangerous place where a fight or trouble could start at any moment. The Turkish Republic can help to supply a peaceful and quiet region in the cultural inheritance of the Ottoman Empire. This is also necessary for the Turkish Republic in order to be powerful among the other states in the region.