IMMIGRATION AND MIGRANT WORK

IMMIGRATION AND MIGRANT WORK

The process of people leaving Macedonia didn’t subside even after the Ilinden Uprising was over. On the contrary, migration became even more intense, as a consequence of the invested socio-economic and political conditions in Macedonia, and specifically the difficult economic conditions in the Bitola vilayet and the intensified action of the armed propaganda, and many villagers sought refuge in larger towns and cities in Macedonia and even abroad. One of the biggest movements was the refugee movement in the Bitola vilayet, i.e. in certain areas of the vilayet, such as Krushevo. Many residents of this once adorned and prosperous town had to seek refuge elsewhere, mainly in Bitola, which as a relatively large city and vilayet centre provided some shelter. Most people went to live with relatives but there were also various charities that operated and were involved in accepting refugees. Bitola vilayet wasn’t the only place where people abandoned their birthplace. People were leaving Kostur, Lerin, Prespa, Prilep, Ohrid and other places all throughout Macedonia. The refugee trains were uninterrupted and unstoppable. A considerable number of Macedonians left their homeland permanently and settled in neighbouring Balkan countries, as well as to the interior of the Ottoman Empire, where in addition to finding shelter they sought work for a living. This included Tsari Grad (Istanbul) Smyrna, Egypt, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania. The Macedonians sought and found shelter wherever they could. On a much smaller scale, emigration was also directed towards European countries. Going to European countries, especially Austria-Hungary, Germany, or France, was predominantly dictated by the need to work. Some even took the long trek to North America and some to South America. There were also recruiters who recruited people and sent them to work for American and other companies. The conditions in Macedonia were so bad that finding and securing cheap labour for your company wasn’t difficult at all. According to some statistics kept by Giorche Petrov, in 1903, 9-10,000 Macedonians left for America; in 1904 10-12,000, while in 1906 that number increased even more. This doesn’t conclude Macedonians leaving for many European and non-European countries. It should be emphasized that even though Macedonians left their homes they never severed ties with their homeland. They

constantly maintained close contact with families and on various occasions they returned to their homes.

THE MURZSTEG AND OTHER REFORMS IN MACEDONIA

Despite the fact that the Great Powers of Europe showed no interest in helping the Macedonian situation, Austria-Hungary and Russia couldn’t completely ignore things. There were things going on in Macedonia that directly endangered their general interests in this part of the world. Hence, in order to alleviate and calm the situation, Austria-Hungary and Russia, after having lengthy negotiations and consultations with the other major European powers, took it upon themselves to resolve the Macedonian Question. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Emperor François Joseph of Austria met in Vienna in late September 1903. The two monarchs continued their talks in Murzsteg. As a result a reform program emerged, which according to the place where it was adopted, was called the Murzsteg Reform Program. On October 3, 1903, the Austria-Hungary and Russian ambassadors to the Ottoman Empire were instructed to inform and acquaint the Ottoman authorities with the contents of the reform program and what they were required to do with it in Macedonia. The Ottoman government wasn’t happy about it, complaining that the reforms violated its sovereignty. But soon, after being pressured, the Ottomans formally accepted the reforms and constantly strived to hide their content and essence during their implementation.

The Murzsteg reforms called for appointing two civilian agents to represent Austria-Hungary and Russia at Hilmi Pasha’s Solun-based chief inspector’s office for European provinces. The civilian agents would be tasked with overseeing the Ottoman administration’s implementation of the reforms. In addition to civilian agents, a foreign general with European officers and a required number of advisers was to be appointed. These military personnel were to carry out the reorganization of the Ottoman gendarmerie in Macedonia. Macedonia’s division into sectors was to enable a more efficient execution of the planned gendarmerie reorganization which aimed to achieve greater efficiency in the clamping down of the revolutionary movement in Macedonia. This was one of the important elements of the reform program in Macedonia. It should be noted that the initiators of the reform program insisted on this important element, which could be concluded for the benefit of Austria-Hungary and

Russia, as well as for the other European Great Powers to maintain the famous status quo in Macedonia.

In addition to the demands made for the appointment of civilian agents and reform the gendarmerie, there were demands made for the Ottoman authorities to also reform the administration and the judiciary, to include locals in the administration, form commissions composed of Christians and Muslims, in order to investigate crimes committed during the Ilinden Uprising, etc. The Ottomans also had to commit to reimbursing all costs of the burned villages and for disbanding the irregular army.

Unfortunately the Ottoman authorities had the uncanny ability to drag their feet and delay any action taken. After being pressured to act, civilian agents began to appear and do their work in the second half of January 1904. There was also disagreement between the European powers over who would be selected to lead the gendarmerie reforms as well as the distribution of the sectors, greatly contributing to the untimely start of the reforms. During these debates it became clear that the European Powers were only interested in their respective countries getting their hands on certain parts of Macedonia. But, in the end, they agreed to allow the Italian gendarmerie general Di Georges to lead the reforms of the Ottoman gendarmerie in the Macedonian provinces. To do this Macedonia had to be divided into sectors, with the Great Powers engaged in the Ottoman gendarmerie reforms. This way Austria-Hungary took charge of the Skopje Sandzhak, Italy took charge of the Bitola vilayet; Russia took charge of the Solun vilayet; France took charge of the Seri Sandzhak, while the United Kingdom took charge of the Drama Sandzhak. Germany, which was the Ottoman Empire’s best ally at the time, took over the management of the gendarmerie schools in Solun. Once all this was settled and tensions had slightly relaxed, in April 1904 the foreign officers started the reorganizing of the Ottoman gendarmerie in Macedonia.

The Russian and Austrian civilian agents who came to Macedonia were in fact put in a very awkward situation. Their ability to do their work was completely limited. They traveled through Macedonia’s interior to allegedly supervise the reforms being implemented, receiving various individual and group complaints from the field

without being able to take concrete measures because, according to their obligations, they were only obliged to report to their superiors what they saw or what was reported to them. So, in order to be more effective at their job they began to pay attention to the Chief Inspector Hilmi Pasha and used his services to take necessary measures.

The foreign officers were a bit more successful in their work reforming the Ottoman gendarmerie. First they sought to remove all incompetent and illiterate people from the ranks of the gendarmerie. Then they sought to provide the gendarmes with a regular income. Being used as irregulars and not being paid properly was one of the causes of corruption and other crimes in the gendarmerie. Gendarmerie schools were opened in Solun, Skopje and Bitola and the number of gendarmerie stations was significantly increased, thus establishing general control throughout the networks. As a result, and with the help of the European Powers, the Ottoman gendarmerie in Macedonia became a better and more effective Ottoman Empire guardian. Some of the reformers made claims that Christians too should be admitted to join the Ottoman gendarmerie, but due to the Revolutionary Organization’s attitude towards the reforms, the number of Macedonians registered for service was quite insignificant.

In December 1905, the Great Powers sent their fleets to the port of Solun where they demonstrated their naval power. The naval demonstration was aimed at forcing the Ottomans to expand and accelerate administrative, financial and judicial reforms. Of particular interest were the planned reform projects in Macedonia, adopted between the English and Russian monarchs in Reval in June 1908. They envisaged an autonomous Macedonia. Unfortunately the 1908 Young Turk Revolution hampered that realization. In 1909 the Great Powers stopped carrying out reforms in Macedonia.

Even though the Murzsteg reform program didn’t contribute much to the improvement of the socio-economic and political conditions in Macedonia, it still allowed Europe to become familiar with the real situation in Macedonia. It actually contributed to the Macedonian people’s affirmation of their national liberation struggle. It should be noted that the Murzsteg reforms had an

international character, which is of importance to the Macedonian people