Quote:
Originally Posted by Galaico
Tito renamed Macedonia because of his admiration to Alexander the Great, and all the FYROMian rewritting of history just came in the last few decades as the documentary says.
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What the hell? Where did you read that? Present Macedonia (ex-Yugoslav republic) was named Macedonia because it was part of historical Macedonian region. The same historic region was divieded between Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia (later Yugoslavia) in the Balkan wars (1912-1913).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Milfiades
A stamp showing the map of Yugoslavia with the Southern province called 'Vardarska' as it was before the red partisan take over of Yugoslavia and the creation of the 'Socialist Republic of Macedonia' at the end of WW2 |
This stamp is from the period around 1939-1941. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was proclaimed dictarship (6th of January Dictatorship) and the country was divided in unhistorical way. Serbia (and Yugoslavian) Macedonia didn't had any specific autonomy nor it formed any specific region. Until 1929. it was just considered as part of 'Southern Serbia'. From 1939. and the agreement Cvetoković-Maček Croats succeeded in their attempts and Serbs agreed to form Croatian autonomy from the Sava, Littoral and smaller parts of Zeta, Danube, Vrbas and Drina banovina's. During this time Macedonian Slavs were considered Serbs (before Balkan wars they were regarded as Bulgarians even by neutral POV - the Allies). After WW2 Tito and the Yugoslav Communist party form a republic from the Yugoslav (former Serbian) part of historic Macedonia and name it - Macedonia. It's that simple.
Even Bulgarians call their small part of Macedonian historic region which is today part of Bulgarian sovereign state 'Pirin Macedonia'. Greek Macedonia is also known as 'Aegan Macedonia' and former Yugoslav republic Macedonia (today sovereign state) was (and still is sometimes) refered as 'Vardar Macedonia'.
Honestly I don't see a problem here. This is like United Kingdom protesting because Republic of Ireland is using the Irish name, or maybe vice versa, the British using Northern Ireland. If you had any pragmatism you would insists on two main points:
1. Emphasizing of the name '
Republic of Macedonia'
2. Macedonian Slavs renouncing their ridiculous chauvinist claims on ancient Macedonians
This I believe would be acceptable for Slav Macedonians and Greeks would get at least most of the satisfaction. As it is now we have two sides on totally opposite sides. Especially Greek side being totally stuborn and acting stupid loosing its credibility.
Btw. a small revelation. Some nationalists (Bulgarian but mainly Serbs) often speak how it was Tito and the communists who "created the artificial Macedonian nation". Well thats funny, because in 19th and early 20th century when Serbia and Bulgaria were contesting on these regions Bulgaria was more successful and had organized churches and schools in Bulgarian, however since the after the Balkan wars most of Slavic speaking Bulgaria was handed over to Serbia, Serbs seeing they are unsuccessful in getting the Slav Macedonians to their side invented and started to promote a separate ethnic identity to diminish the Bulgarian influence. This was the supposed "Macedonian ethnicity". So you see it was the Serbs themselves who invented it.