Balkan Racial Wars-Bulgars Attack Macedonians (1907)

[Onur]

And the situation between Turkish authorities and Macedonians was not always black and white either.

Soon after the Macedonian uprising in 1903, Young Turks agreed with Sandanski`s faction about the future of Macedonia since neither pro-Greek nor pro-Bulgarian factions were preferable for them. Already, the biggest motive of the Young Turks movement was the grave situation of Macedonia. They were trying to realize a coup d`etat against the sultan since 1902 to create a new republican federation which includes Macedonia. They managed to do that in 1908 and as you know Sandanski published his own declaration for supporting them.

I don't know how familiar you are with this but the partnership between Young Turks and Sandanski`s federalists was very close. I can clearly say that from the memoirs, documents and especially from the notes of the Young Turks leaders from that era. For example, when Young Turks did their coup d`etat, they didn't kill the sultan Abdulhamit but they just isolated him in a palace but the sultan managed to do his counter coup against the Young Turks after 1-2 years. He shut down the parliament for few days, arrested several Young Turks leaders and captured their followers in the Turkish army. Then Young Turks called Sandanski to help them in Istanbul. Sandanski came to Istanbul with his own battalion to stop the sultan Abdulhamit and he restored the Young Turks government. He successfully suppressed the sultan`s supporters in the Yildiz palace and Turkish people threw roses on them in the streets of Istanbul, cheering for them like "long live Sandanski pasha". This event proves the level of relationship between them. Do you think Young Turks could dare to call a battalion to Istanbul and Turkish people would give roses to them if they would consider them as foreigners, strangers? I mean, while Turkish people greeted Sandanski with roses in 1909, we lost over 250.000 people to prevent British entering Istanbul from Dardanelles.

I also read the reports of the negotiations between Sandanski and Young Turks. Sandanski was calling vurkhovists as puppets of Tsars and Russia and as their enemies. His first aim was creating an autonomous Macedonia inside a Balkan federation of Turkey, Albania, Macedonia and then saving Bulgaria from Russian yoke by organizing some kind of people`s revolution in there. Thats why he became no.1 enemy of vurkhovists and Tsar Ferdinand and they tried to assassinate him several times.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Onur, aside from that brief period, the relations between Macedonians and Ottoman authorities were black and white. I will repeat a previous post of mine from the other thread where this was already discussed:

http://www.macedoniantruth.org/forum...urks#post95561

What did the Young Turks contribute to the idea and/or realisation of an autonomous Macedonia? I am not aware of anything, those discussions which took place with Jane Sandanski resulted in nothing but more empty promises from foreigners.

I don't think the above can be disputed. Although I would still like to see those letters which speak of Sandanski and an autonomous Macedonia translated. Do you think you get around to it?

[Onur]

Although I would still like to see those letters which speak of Sandanski and an autonomous Macedonia translated. Do you think you get around to it?

I will translate some of them whenever i have time for it. Ofc we cannot know how serious Young Turk leaders was about the autonomy but Sandanski and his federalist people believed them for sure. In my opininon, they were quite serious because they knew that it was impossible to continue with old-ways of monarchy era.

Also, that honeymoon period was so short as you said, because Bulgarians didn't even let them realize some advancements towards their goal. As soon as the voices of Macedonian autonomy has raised, Bulgarians and Greeks gone in major panic. They tried to assassinate federalist people, raiding to the villages who helped them, killing 100s and they prepared for the Balkan wars at the same time. Then 3 years after the Sandanski`s declaration, Bulgaria started the Balkan wars, invaded Thrace, tried to go to Istanbul. Then WW-1 started in 1914. Thats why that period was quite short.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Onur - any luck with translating those letters?