Socialist Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian: Социјалистичка Република Македонија, romanized: Socijalistička Republika Makedonija), was one of the six constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and a nation state of the Macedonians.[3][4][5] After becoming a parliamentary democracy in 1990, the Republic changed its name to the Republic of Macedonia in 1991. ,[6] As Yugoslavia began to break up, it declared independence and held a referendum on September 8, 1991, approving a sovereign Macedonia with the option to join alliances with Yugoslav states.
Democratic Federal Macedonia (1944–1946) Демократска Федерална Македонија Demokratska Federalna Makedonija People's Republic of Macedonia (1946–1963) Народна Република Македонија Narodna Republika Makedonija Socialist Republic of Macedonia (1963–1991) Социјалистичка Република Македонија Socijalistička Republika Makedonija Republic of Macedonia (1991) Република Македонија Republika Makedonija | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944–1991 | |||||||||||
 Macedonia within Yugoslavia | |||||||||||
| Status | Constituent republic of Yugoslavia | ||||||||||
| Capital | Skopje | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Macedonian Albanian Serbo-Croatian | ||||||||||
| Religion | Secular state (de jure) State atheism (de facto)[1][2] | ||||||||||
| Government | 1946–1990: Titoist one-party socialist republic 1990–1991: Parliamentary republic | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||||
• ASNOM | 2 August 1944 | ||||||||||
| 8 May 1945 | |||||||||||
| 1991 | |||||||||||
• Independence declared by referendum | 8 September 1991 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Yugoslav dinar | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | North Macedonia | ||||||||||
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SR Macedonia was a landlocked republic in Yugoslavia, bordering Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east. Within Yugoslavia, it bordered SR Serbia (including SAP Kosovo) to the north.
Backround
changeThe first Macedonian state, called Democratic Federal Macedonia,[7]was officially declared during World War II at the First Plenary Session of ASNOM. It was secretly established on August 2, 1944, in the Bulgarian-occupied zone of Yugoslavia at the Prohor Pčinjski Monastery (now in Serbia).[8][9] This date, also marking the 1903 Ilinden Uprising against Ottoman rule, is now celebrated as Republic Day in North Macedonia.
After the Bulgarian Army withdrew under Soviet pressure on September 8, pro-German nationalists from the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization declared a puppet state. In October, Bulgaria’s new pro-Soviet government sent its army back into Yugoslavia to stop the German retreat from Greece[10] In early October, under the leadership of the new Bulgarian pro-Soviet government, the Bulgarian Army re-entered Yugoslavia to block the German forces in their withdrawal from Greece.[11][12] In Macedonia the Bulgarians fought side-by-side with the fighters of the People's Liberation Army of Macedonia.[13], fighting alongside the People’s Liberation Army of Macedonia.
In late November 1944, the Vardar Banovina was liberated from German forces and their allies, allowing ASNOM to begin operating in December. However, anti-communist Albanian nationalists in Western Macedonia resisted Yugoslav Partisan control, attempting to keep the region out of communist Yugoslavia. [14] It wasn’t until early 1945 that the Partisans fully secured the mountainous area.
After the war, the future of Yugoslavia was uncertain. The Partisans envisioned it as a “Democratic Federation” with six federal states. [15] On 29 November 1945, Tito became Prime Minister, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was officially declared, with its constitution taking effect in 1946. As part of this, Macedonia was renamed the People’s Republic of Macedonia and became a Yugoslav republic.
People suspected of being pro-Bulgarian (often actually pro-independence or anti-Yugoslav) were removed from positions, arrested, and imprisoned on false charges. Many were executed, including during the Bloody Christmas of 1945. Estimates of the victims range from 1,200 to 50,000, including those imprisoned, deported, or forced into labor. Further purges occurred after the Tito–Stalin split. [16]
In 1945, the Macedonian language was officially codified, and the first publishing house, “Prosvetno Delo,” was established on 16 April. The new republic was based on the territory of Vardar Banovina, part of the larger Macedonia region, which was divided among several countries. Some Macedonian politicians advocated for a “United Macedonia,” including Aegean and Pirin Macedonia. The Yugoslav government sometimes supported or suppressed this idea depending on political circumstances.
Some opposed Yugoslavia’s federal structure and wanted more independence, leading to persecution. One prominent victim was Metodija Andonov-Čento, Macedonia’s first president. To eliminate Bulgarophile influences, the Yugoslav communists promoted Macedonian identity through a process of nation-building and cultural transformation. [17]
Constitution
changeThe Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a nation-state for Macedonians and also included its ethnic minorities. It had some powers usually held by independent countries. The Constitution allowed for self-determination and secession. The borders could only be changed by the republic's parliament. People in Macedonia had both Yugoslav citizenship and a special Macedonian citizenship for local matters. The republic had its own constitution, government, parliament, official language, state symbols, and institutions like the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Interior Ministry, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also had its own Territorial Defence armed forces.
System
changeThe Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a one-party communist state ruled by the League of Communists of Macedonia. As part of Yugoslavia, it followed a neutral foreign policy and had a more liberal form of communism, based on Titoism and workers' self-management.
Minorities
changeMacedonians were the majority and one of the nations in SFR Yugoslavia, but the rights of ethnic minorities were protected by the Constitution. Macedonian was the official language, though Albanians and Turks could use their own languages in schools and media. The Constitution defined SR Macedonia as both a national state for Macedonians and a state for Albanians and Turks.
From the start of Yugoslav rule, there were accusations that authorities punished those who opposed the new Macedonian identity. The number of victims from organized killings of Bulgarians is unclear, but Bulgarian sources claim thousands were killed, and over 100,000 were imprisoned under the "Law for the Protection of Macedonian National Honor." Bulgarophobia became a state ideology in SR Macedonia.
Religion
changeAlthough the communist government discouraged religion, it allowed some religious freedom. The Macedonian Orthodox Church declared independence in 1967 and was permitted to exist. In 1972, construction began on St. Clement of Ohrid, the largest Orthodox church in Skopje. Other religious groups, including Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants, were also allowed to maintain their places of worship and organizations.
References
change- ↑ Kideckel, David; Halpern, Joel (2000). Neighbors at War: Anthropological Perspectives on Yugoslav Ethnicity, Culture, and History. p. 165. ISBN 9780271044354.
- ↑ Avramović, Sima (2007). "Understanding Secularism in a Post-Communist State: Case of Serbia" (PDF).
- ↑ Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, 1974 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia (in Macedonian)
- ↑ Устав Федеративне Народне Републике Југославије (1946), sr.wikisource.org, retrieved on 19 October 2007. (in Serbo-Croatian)
- ↑ Устав Социјалистичке Федеративне Републике Југославије (1963), sr.wikisource.org, retrieved on 19 October 2007. (in Serbo-Croatian)
- ↑ On This Day – Macedonian Information Agency – MIA Archived 25 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine, see: 1991 (in Macedonian)
- ↑ Constitutional History of the Republic of Macedonia Archived 27 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine by Dr. Cvetan Cvetkovski, Faculty of Law, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
- ↑ Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia, Dimitar Bechev, Scarecrow Press, 2009, ISBN 0810855658, p. 240.
- ↑ The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building And Legitimation, 1918–2005, Sabrina P. Ramet, Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0253346568, p. 139-140.
- ↑ Das makedonische Jahrhundert: von den Anfängen der nationalrevolutionären Bewegung zum Abkommen von Ohrid 1893–2001, Stefan Troebst, Oldenbourg Verlag, 2007, ISBN 3486580507, S. 234.
- ↑ Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941–45, Nigel Thomas, K. Mikulan, Darko Pavlović, Osprey Publishing, 1995, ISBN 1-85532-473-3, p. 33.
- ↑ World War II: The Mediterranean 1940–1945, World War II: Essential Histories, Paul Collier, Robert O'Neill, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2010, ISBN 1-4358-9132-5, p. 77.
- ↑ War and revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: occupation and collaboration, Jozo Tomasevich, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3615-4, p. 168.
- ↑ "Zemra Shqiptare". www.zemrashqiptare.net. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ↑ Ramet, Sabrina P.; The Three Yugoslavias: State-building and Legitimation, 1918–2005; Indiana University Press, 2006 ISBN 0-253-34656-8
- ↑ Phillips, John (2004). Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-1-86064-841-0.
- ↑ Nikolaos Zahariadis, Essence of political manipulation: emotion, institutions, & Greek foreign policy, Peter Lang (publisher), 2005; ISBN 0820479039, p. 85.
