MACEDONIA THE TREATY OF SAN STEFANO AND THE BERLIN CONGRESS

MACEDONIA THE TREATY OF SAN STEFANO AND THE BERLIN CONGRESS

It can be said that the above-mentioned armed actions perpetrated in Macedonia by the Serbian and Greek ruling circles were to some extent reactions against the San Stefano Agreement concluded between Russia and the Ottoman Empire on March 3, 1878 in San Stefano, near Tsari Grad (Istanbul). The Bulgarian ruling circles reacted in a similar manner during the Berlin Congress. They attempted to use the Kreshna Uprising through their “Unity” Committees in order to achieve Greater Bulgarian aspirations in Macedonia.

Under the San Stefano Agreement, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro were to be given independence and reforms were to be introduced in the other Balkan countries under Ottoman rule. It was also predicted that an autonomous Bulgarian state would be created, which in addition to encompassing today’s Bulgaria, would encompass most of Macedonia, part of Serbia, Albania (Korcha), Thrace, etc. It was envisioned that the Russian tsar wanted to turn these countries into his own behind the Danube provinces.

The San Stefano Agreement however was opposed by the Great Powers, most notably by Britain and Austria-Hungary, who felt it was jeopardizing their interests in the Balkans and breaking previous agreements made between Russia and the other Great Powers. Some, for example, felt that Bulgaria was going to fall under Russian influence and Macedonia under Austro-Hungarian influence. In fact in 1878 Austria-Hungary demanded that a separate autonomous Macedonia be created and placed under its influence.

The Balkan states also opposed Macedonia’s annexation to the planned autonomous Bulgarian state. The Greek government, through the consulates and metropolises in Macedonia, sent protest letters to the Great Powers and demanded that Macedonia be given to Greece. The Serbian government took similar actions. The Serbian actions were coordinated by the so-called “Main board in Belgrade”, chaired by Archimandrite Sava, who accompanied the Serbian diplomats in Berlin during the Berlin Congress. After the Bulgarian Exarchate emerged it organized a series of actions (sending letters, etc.) demanding recognition for the so-called “San Stefano Bulgaria”. The ruling circles in Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia instigated and supported these various actions. It was at this time that they began to openly clash over the seizing of Macedonian territory. This gave rise to the Macedonian question “what will happen to Macedonia”, which was brought before the entire European diplomacy through the Berlin Congress.

The ruling circles in Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece wanted to plunder Macedonia, which was news, at that time, to the Macedonian people and the rest of the population living in Macedonia. The Macedonian population condemned these hostile, foreign actions because they didn’t take into account the interests of the people. Instead of liberation, the foreigners offered plunder and replacing Ottoman rule with something else. In May 1878 the Macedonian position was expressed by Dimitar Robev, the first Macedonian member in the Ottoman parliament (since 1876). Robev condemned the foreign propaganda carried out by the Balkan ruling circles and declared that it was in the best interest of the Macedonian people if Macedonia was to become independent. In this regard, he visited Belgrade and talked to the Serbian president and others. Unfortunately they disagreed with him and accused him of wanting Macedonia for himself. Robev brought up the same issue to Ignatiev, the Russian envoy in Constantinople. It is alleged that Ignatiev told Robev that “Macedonia can’t belong to any of the three main peoples in the Balkan Peninsula.” This opinion was not unique.

Before the Berlin Congress was even convened, during the Russian-Austro-Hungarian negotiations held in Vienna, the Russian government proposed the creation of a separate autonomous vassal principality that included Macedonia and the Novopazar Sandzhak, but Austro-Hungary opposed it. After realizing that it wouldn’t be able to support the San Stefano Agreement, the Russian government abandoned its plans to create a “San Stefano Bulgaria” even before the Berlin Congress was started. This was also expressed in the Russian negotiations with the English government.

In regard to the San Stefano Agreement, Dimitar Blagoev, father of socialism in Bulgaria, in an article published in Leninova “Iskra” on August 1, 1903 and in the book “Contribution to the History of

Socialism in Bulgaria” (Moscow 1944, p. 39), provided an analysis of the situation and proved that the creation of a “San Stefano Bulgaria” was unattainable. It was a fabrication. It was pure “fiction”. At the same time he showed appreciation for the positive aspects of the Russian war against the Ottomans (liberating Bulgaria, etc.) and didn’t forget to point out that the Russian tsar had goals to conquer territories during that war. A similar view was also expressed in the “Little Soviet Encyclopedia”, Volume VII, p. 622 (Moscow 1930).

According to the agreements reached during the Berlin Congress (13.VI. - 13.VII.1878), Romania, Montenegro and Serbia became independent states; Bosnia-Herzegovina was given to Austria-Hungary. Northern Bulgaria became a vassal principality of the Ottoman sultan, south of that, an autonomous region of Eastern Rumelia was created, and so on. As for the other Balkan countries in the Ottoman Empire, the Treaty of Berlin provided for various reforms. Article 23 of this agreement provided for the implementation of reforms in Macedonia spelled out in the so-called Critical Statute of 1866, which gave Macedonia certain autonomous rights. But the Porte (Ottoman government) didn’t implement any of these reforms and the situation in Macedonia worsened even more.