OSMANLI MAKEDONYASINDA SLAVİST BULGAR KOMİTA FAALİYETLERİ

Abstract

The Ottoman Macedonia of the nationalism age has showed itself as a significative factor in the conflict and competition between the local forces of the Balkans and the great states of the time. The committee activities of Slav, Greek, Armenian, Albanian, Ulah and Roman that took place in region in this framework spread to a wide field with different dimensions in the name of national interests. In particular, Slavist committee activities were supported by the Bulgarian Principality in general, which this activities carried out by largely Bulgarian committees, partly Serbian committees. The Ottoman documents show that Slavic committees spread throughout Macedonia in the late nineteenth century by putting that they are generally supported by the Bulgarian government and that they have a strong connection with European states in the supply of weapons and ammunition. It is understood that Russia, Austria and England are the leading actors in the process. The committees in Macedonia have sometimes gone to co-operate for their common interests against the Ottoman State but they have tried to reach the goals that their national interests have required to a great extent. In contrast, the insufficient and inconclusive diplomatic effort of the Ottoman government could not prevent the tragic end of Macedonia in terms of the Ottoman State. Of course, "unawareness" of local officials constituted a separate phase in this ending. As understood from the letter dated 16 March sent by Bulgarian Commissariat, when it came to the beginning of the 20th Century, the "negligence" of the Ottoman local officials were full of pages against the ongoing and unobtrusive activities of committees, and now came to the brink of a bloody "revolution" in Macedonia.